


In a Manor of Speaking

by intellexual_asexual



Series: In a Manor of Speaking [1]
Category: Markiplier TV (Web Series), Who Killed Markiplier? (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, KSDJFGFHDJD, KSDJKGFHFLSDK i am the monarch of comedy, Suicide, ah fuck im really bad at tagging, at least im being honest, because i dont want to disappoint anyone, but i have to warn you somehow, can someone please explain why CJ has two tags, cant have shit in the manor, i know how that feels sfkjghsdkj, ill update the main tags as the story progresses, like dksfjh rj is probably like, like what actually happens in the story, mans stole my damn ao3 tag, no beta we die like actor mark, so here you go, uhhh thats it dskjfhkfh, uhhhhhhh don't look at the tags if you don't want spoilers, yikes i just spoiled the story, yknow if theyre looking for specific character interactions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 24,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28620918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intellexual_asexual/pseuds/intellexual_asexual
Summary: Y/N wakes in the middle of someone's lawn, with no memories except their nightmare the night before. A murder, a mirror, and a grey face. What did it all mean?Or: Gender neutral reader meets and interacts with Markiplier's egos. But Dark is acting strange. Stranger than usual, that is.NOW AVAILABLE ON WATTPAD, GO CHECK OUT THE VERY AWESOME POGGERS COVER THAT I MADE FOR IT!
Series: In a Manor of Speaking [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124480
Comments: 35
Kudos: 46





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here it is. I've been sitting on this idea since September, and I finally did something about it. I hope it's up to your standards bubs uwu. Also more chapters are coming and/or are in the works, I would hate to be one of those writers who posts two chapters and then disappears for a good two years sdklghkfjhsla. If you have any suggestions for how this should progress, feel free to voice them! 
> 
> Also I might change the summary at some point, when I get more of a feel for where this story is going. Well, obviously, I already know where this story is going, I'm the author sjkhfsgdk. But I mean after I've written and published a few chapters. Sometimes it takes a while for me to be able to sum up a story, y'know?
> 
> I feel very big brained for coming up with the new title, just look up the definition of the correct spelling of the phrase and you'll see why sldkfkfjgfd

It was cold. No, actually, it was warm. Or maybe it was both? Y/N couldn’t tell up from down, left from right, let alone what the temperature was. 

They were... falling. They think. Yes, they’re sure of it. They were falling, but where to? Y/N started to slightly panic. They never did like being kept in the dark.

Y/N opened their eyes, which they seemed to just realize they had. It was pitch black, their surroundings no more discernible than when their eyes were closed. How ironic.

...

Oh yeah, they were really falling now. Y/N was falling, straight into a seemingly endless abyss, and it felt… good? They seemed to finally figure out the temperature, which was _hot_ , and decided that the breeze was fairly nice. Y/N sighed, content, and closed their eyes again. Maybe this wasn’t so bad.

_Thump._

Y/N opened their eyes. They had stopped falling, though they didn’t feel themselves land. They also appeared to be on some sort of solid ground, though Y/N still couldn’t see a single damn thing. Were they actually blind? The longer they stared into the deep, black space, though, the more things they were able to see. Perhaps Y/N just needed to adjust to the darkness?

There was the faint outline of a grand, spiral staircase. It led up to a balcony, which seemed to give way to the rest of the upper floor. Y/N couldn’t really tell, though, because the outline of it stopped abruptly in the middle of it’s low railing.

Then two people (or, rather, the shadows of them) suddenly appeared on the balcony, and one of them... pushed the other? Shot them? Whatever happened, they tumbled off the railing and Y/N screamed as the person fell to the first floor with a sickening _crack_. Y/N could feel their pain, both physical and emotional, and had to take a knee as they continued to scream. 

But Y/N’s screams were silent as they doubled over. They couldn’t speak. Whether from shock or a newly formed disability, they couldn’t tell. And they didn’t really care. The pain was unbearable. Betrayal and hurt and confusion swirled around in Y/N’s brain for hours, weeks, _years_ it felt like, until it was suddenly gone. It was gone as soon as it had come.

Y/N sensed a presence behind them, and twisted around. Their eyes went wide as they cast them upon a large landscaped mirror.

The mirror was cracked rather roughly into three pieces, and some shards and dust from it laid on the floor. It’s frame was black and thin, nothing like the extravagant hall it was placed in. The mirror was affixed to the wall at head level, for Y/N, at least. They stood up and approached it with caution, too curious and focused to realize that with each step towards the mirror, the world was slowly beginning to materialize around them. 

Y/N stepped directly in front of the mirror. Their reflection stared back at them, but it was… odd. They were certain they didn’t look anything like what was projected in the mirror. Y/N knew what they looked like… kind of. Maybe. Possibly. 

...

Ok, maybe Y/N didn’t remember what they actually looked like. But they were _positive_ that they didn’t have grey skin. Or black, slicked back hair. Or a three piece suit.

Y/N began to scratch their head in confusion and realized that their reflection wasn’t moving along. They moved back a step, startled, as their reflection sneered at them. It seemed disgusted to even look at Y/N. And yet it’s expression also seemed rather somber. As if Y/N was a recently deceased being that it knows it shouldn’t disrespect, but can’t help itself.

The reflection looked Y/N straight in the eyes as it turned it’s sneer into a smirk and muttered darkly, “Oh, there you are, old friend. How are you settling into your new office? Now, I know it’ll take some getting used to, but there’s no one I would rather have alongside me to protect this great _manor_ of ours.”

And before they could ask any questions—well, attempt to ask, anyway—the reflection reached out and yanked Y/N into the mirror with it.

~ ꕤꕤꕤꕤꕤ ~

It was cold. No, actually, it was warm. Or maybe it was both? Y/N couldn’t tell up from down, left from right, let alone what the temperature was. 

…

Wait. Y/N was able to use their senses properly now. They could feel a slight breeze, and the grassy floor beneath their fingers. Their skin felt warm, but they themselves weren’t completely burning up. So that must mean…

Y/N was... outside. They think. Yes, they’re sure of it. They were outside, but where? Y/N started to slightly panic. They never did like being kept in the dark.

Y/N opened their eyes. They must have been sleeping. Their eyes were hard to open, and filled with the cursed crust that comes solely from dozing off. Y/N rubbed the sleep from their eyes and looked up. The sky was a nice shade of blue, one noticeable only during a sunrise.

Huh. A sunrise. Y/N’s internal clock must be extremely fine-tuned. That, or their apparent nightmare woke them immediately after being pulled through that mirror before anything seriously damaging could happen.

That nightmare was certainly unsettling, and nothing like what Y/N had ever experienced. Usually it was of something obscure, like a dude they had passed at the gas station that day chasing them through a car dealership. Sometimes they were actually scary, like the time Y/N was dangled from a sewing thread over a pool of sharks. And they could never remember the whole thing, just bits and pieces. Enough to laugh about it the next morning.

Y/N sat up as they fully soaked in the nightmare. The staircase, the murder, the pain. And that mirror. The reflection. 

What had it said to them? “There you are, old friend.” It certainly didn’t make Y/N seem like an old friend. They feared the reflection’s image would be practically ingrained into their brain. 

“How are you settling into your new office?” What did that mean? As far as Y/N knew, they didn’t work in an office. 

…

Now that they think about it, they sort of forgot where they worked. And what they worked as. And where they lived, and their friends' names, and family's faces, and…

Well then. It seems Y/N forgot everything about their life except that nightmare. They weren’t even really sure what their name was, but it was on the tip of their tongue. Y/N was sure it would slip out if someone asked.

Y/N was so absorbed in their thoughts that they almost, _almost_ , didn’t notice the figure approaching them. They had temporarily forgotten that they were lying in the middle of a grassy area, which was apparently this person’s lawn. What luck. 

They looked hesitant to talk to Y/N, but seemed to push down their anxieties and ask, “Sah, dude, you good?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you guys see what I did with Dark saying Damien's first lines of WKM? Did you? I'm sorry, I just thought it fit ksdfjfgdasl, I love making references to shit in my stories. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this! Hopefully I can post another chapter tomorrow, I've got it already written but it needs some editing work. Make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	2. The Workshop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the second chapter! This one should be significantly better than the first, since I worked on it pretty much all day. My plan is to publish a chapter a day for this fic, since I never focus on schoolwork and I might as well channel my energy into something productive slkdfshdgfa.
> 
> If you have notifs on for this story (um, why would you askjghajs) you will notice that after this is posted the tags are going to be changed a bit. Just some additions, nothing crazy since this work is going at a snail's pace and only one new character was introduced sklfjhfgsadhj.

The person inched ever closer to Y/N as they studied their features. They were obviously part Asian, and seemed to have a pep in their step despite acting like Y/N was a large spider. Their black tank top clung tight to their torso, and the word “bing” written across it seemed to glow slightly. Their orange Crocs clashed horribly with their blue jeans (and honestly the rest of their outfit). Their hair was parted to the left, and it was the same shade of black as the reflection’s. As they looked up at the person’s face, Y/N noticed that they were also wearing a bright orange pair of sunglasses.

Y/N must have been staring, or otherwise looking at them for too long, because the person was right in front of Y/N now. The person waved a hand in front of them and said, “Yo, uh, Earth to… whoever you are! Hey, you alive in there?”

Y/N shook their head. “Ugh, sorry. My brain is still a little foggy. Um… where am I?”

The person looked surprised. “You mean you don’t know how you got here? You’re sitting in the middle of our backyard, dude.”

_‘Our?’_ This person must live with someone else then. Or multiple someones. 

Before Y/N could ask about it, the person asked them, “Do you remember anything at all?”

Y/N shook their head again. “No. Except my name, it’s… Y/N. It’s nice to meet you! Though this really isn’t the best situation to meet someone new in...”

The person chuckled and replied, “I feel you. My name’s Bingiplier, you can call me Bing, though. And I totally agree. I would’ve liked to meet you on the street or something instead of catching you trespassing, dude.”

Y/N’s common sense seemed to re-enter their brain as they jumped up, startling Bing. “Oh my god! I am trespassing, aren’t I? I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I mean, I don’t even know how I got here but—”

Bing interrupted their rambling. “Dude, oh my god, chill. It’s fine, I promise! We’re not gonna ****ing kill you or anything. You don’t see any ‘keep off the grass’ signs, do you?”

Y/N was a little spooked by the censor noise that came out of Bing’s mouth. They must have noticed Y/N’s surprise because they said, “Oh ****. Yeah, I uh… I’m an android. I’ve got a kid-friendly feature installed, that’s why I made that noise. I don’t know why though, to be honest Google is, like, ten times better programmed for kids than me.”

“Google? Are they an android too?”

“Yeah,” Bing explained. “Y’know, like the search engine? I’m named after a search engine, too. A better one, in fact...” Bing puffed out his chest, in a comical sort of manner. They looked similar to a proud peacock.

Y/N honestly didn’t believe Bing. But Y/N reminded themselves that they were currently on Bing’s lawn, trespassing, and decided not to question it now. 

“Hey, I know! Maybe we could go see him! He might know why you lost your memories, dude. Or at least, why you’re here without them.”

Bing brought up a good point. Google sounds like they could search up something: if their name meant anything, it was that they could use the search engine to research. Although…

“Why don’t you do it, Bing?” Y/N asked. “Not to be rude, or anything, but you’re similar to Google, are you not? And didn’t you just say you were better than them, anyway?”

Y/N couldn’t help but smirk as Bing tried to make up excuses to not do some work. They sensed that Bing didn’t like their job. Y/N sighed and shook their head, an amused smile slowly creeping onto their face. “Go on, then, Bing, lead the way. I can’t deny that I would like to meet this ‘Google.’ ”

Bing looked relieved to not be researching. Bing grabbed their hand and suddenly took off towards a building in the distance, tugging Y/N gently behind them.

  
  


~ ꕤꕤꕤꕤꕤ ~

  
  


Y/N believed Bing now. 

After leading them through what seemed to be a maze of hallways, Bing had finally stopped in front of a large steel door. They hadn’t really spoken during the journey, and Y/N was happy to see that they had, apparently, arrived at their destination. It was opened via a handprint scan, which Bing gladly demonstrated. They did need to get in, after all.

Bing pressed their hand to the door, and the surrounding area let off a sort of golden glow. The glow pulsated a bit before turning green, and the door slid open. Bing smirked and looked over their shoulder at Y/N, pleased with their awed expression. They entered through the door, and Y/N had no choice but to follow them.

The room behind the steel door was a workshop of sorts. Pieces of metal were strewn everywhere, but in an organized sort of way. Controlled chaos, if you will. Several welding and engineering tools lined the back wall, as well as two ceiling-height shelves filled with cardboard boxes, smaller tools, and large plastic tubs. The walls weren't grey, though, which Y/N wasn't expecting. Instead, they were a sickeningly bright orange, almost like the traffic cone color. It pained Y/N to even squint at it, and so they resorted to looking at literally anything else in the room.

Against the left side of the shop, two—Y/N was going to guess they were charging stations—sat, waiting patiently for their owners to use them again. One of the stations was plastered all over in… were those fruit stickers? Bing had quite the collection there.

On the right side, and closer to the entrance of the shop, was a security set-up of sorts. Multiple monitors were attached to the wall, and two wheelie chairs were sitting in front of a long, black desk. One of the chairs was currently occupied, and as the occupant swiveled around to face the newcomers, Y/N could only assume that this was the fabled Google.

Google looked… exactly like Bing, actually. But at the same time, they looked completely different. Google had the same facial and bodily features as Bing, and the same skin tone, but instead he wore a blue t-shirt with the Google ‘G.’ It glowed slightly, like the ‘bing’ on Bing’s tank top. Google had on a pair of jeans, a bit baggier and worn-in than what Bing had on, and they had the sense to wear actual shoes instead of Crocs. Their hair was parted to the right, though, and Google had on regular glasses instead of shades. Did robots even _need_ glasses? Shouldn’t they be programmed with perfect vision?

Y/N figured now was not the time to ask that question, glancing once at Google’s sourly surprised expression before shuffling a bit behind Bing. They had a feeling Google was not happy to see a new person in their room, especially since they seemed knee-deep in some paperwork at the desk behind them.

“H-Hey Googs, what ‘cha up to—”

“Why is there a human in our workshop?”

It seemed like Google didn’t waste any time in getting to the point, which must have caught Bing off guard. Bing looked like a fish out of water, hesitating and obviously trying to come up with a quick explanation for this.

Y/N decided that they did not want to wait in awkward silence. They had had enough of that on the way here, and resolved to be as straightforward as Google.

They took a deep breath to calm their nerves. “Hello, my name is Y/N. I’m really, really sorry for bothering you, you look very busy and I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to listen to me.”

‘ _God, you sound like you’re writing an email to your superior.’_

“I, uh, I’m not sure how I ended up here, honestly. The only thing I remember is my name. Bing said something about you being an expert researcher? I was hoping that maybe you could help me figure out why my memories are gone. And possibly how I ended up on your lawn.”

Bing raised an eyebrow, but ultimately kept quiet. Y/N was thankful for that: they felt that Google would be more willing to help them if they made a good first impression, even if they were laying it on a bit thick.

They were wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Google is certainly not a happy camper slkfhskjaf. Perhaps I should work on making him less of an asshole. Also I'm going to continue to use they/them pronouns for both Google and Bing until we get to the chapter where everyone's pronouns are told to Y/N. I headcanon both of them with he/they pronouns but Y/N doesn't know that yet. 
> 
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	3. The Saviors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kjdgkfhldkj i had fun with this one! hope you guys enjoy it, I didn't spend too terribly long on this chapter. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to publish a second chapter today? *wink wonk*

Google stared at Y/N for what seemed like hours. They felt like they were a cow being judged at the state fair. The android didn’t say anything for the longest time, their red eyes piercing Y/N sharper by the second.

Wait, were their irises supposed to be red? Y/N swore that they had been brown a second ago.

Then Google’s eyes flickered between the two colors, and Bing suddenly whispered, “Y/N, you should probably run, dude.”

“What?”

But before Bing could explain further, Google stood up from their chair, now with glowing red eyes, and announced: “Secondary objective now active. Target #000000001 identified. Preparing for annihilation.”

“DUDE, RUN!”

Y/N did not need to be told twice.

They were thankful that the steel door was automatic, at least from the inside. Y/N obviously did not have the time to push a random button and hope it opened the door. They ran from the shop and heard the distant sound of metal falling to the floor. Bing must have tackled Google, in an insane attempt to stop them from getting to Y/N. 

The maze of hallways seemed to go on for longer than when they first ventured through them. There were several more twists and turns, for sure, than when Y/N came through here earlier with Bing. Why would just two androids need all of this space?

Y/N kept running until they reached a definite dead end. They turned and looked to their left, and lo and behold was a partial answer to their question: there were two other people standing there.

They looked to be in the middle of a conversation before Y/N, ah… interrupted. One of them wore a sort of trench coat, with a heavy flannel shirt underneath. Y/N would have stared at the bloodied bandage across their face, if they weren’t in the middle of trying not to get killed. The other had on a head mirror, along with an outfit that clearly made them out to be a doctor. They were in the middle of sipping their coffee when Y/N had rounded the corner. They both had the same build as Bing and Google. What the heck? That was one hell of a coincidence.

Y/N had stopped running, breathing heavily. Their brain caught up with their eyes at the same time as the other people, as the three of them screamed in surprise (the doctor, of course, had to spit out their coffee first).

Y/N turned back towards the hallway since they heard heavy footsteps. Google had caught up to them. It wasn’t surprising, really. Y/N had figured that the android had to have been programmed to be faster than humans, possibly for the purpose of getting tasks done quicker. And Google definitely looked intent on completing their current task.

Bing was right behind them, a sorrowful expression on their face as they started pleading with Google to stop. “Yo, Googs, please, they didn’t do anything, c’mon bruh, chill out—!”

But Google paid no mind to Bing as they locked eyes with Y/N and said, “Target #000000001 acquired. Preparing for annihilation.”

Google lifted their arm, pointing it out towards Y/N. Y/N was shocked to see Google’s hand open up and produce what they could only assume was a laser gun. Y/N backed up and groaned when they realized that they were backed against the wall. They squeezed their eyes shut as they braced for the impact of the fatal laser. At least they had forgotten about their friends and family before this: they wouldn’t feel too guilty about leaving them.

“OK, Google.”

Y/N opened their eyes a crack to see Google frozen on the spot, glaring daggers at the bandaged person and the doctor. It seemed that Google couldn’t do anything but await orders in this state, as their eyes had returned to their ‘normal’ brown. 

“The Host requests that Googleplier deactivate his secondary objective, then stand beside the Host and Dr. Iplier.”

Google let out the most frustrated sigh Y/N had ever heard. Wait, could androids do that? Did they still breathe air like humans? 

“Y/N, again, figured now was not the time to ask silly questions like that, as they watched Googleplier pull back their laser and trudge over to the Host and Dr. Iplier.”

Y/N was startled that the person with the bandage knew their name, let alone what they were thinking. As far as they knew, they only told Bing what their name was. And what was up with the third person speaking? Perhaps this ‘Host’ had some sort of disorder?

“The Host frowns deeply and assures Y/N that he is not, in fact, mental. The Host and Dr. Iplier would like to know what in God’s name is going on.”

Dr. Iplier, as they were now known, finally turned their eyes away from Y/N and gave ‘the Host’ a mixed look of annoyance and amusement. “Please don’t drag me into this. If I knew this would occur after getting my coffee this morning, I would’ve just suffered without it in my office.”

Y/N had a feeling that ‘the Host’ already knew what was going on, but started explaining anyway, for Dr. Iplier’s sake. “I have no idea where I am. I woke up in your backyard, and Bing found me and decided to take me to Google. They mentioned something about trying to figure out why I was here, since they didn’t know either. Then Google went all crazy on us and chased me over here. Thank you for that, by the way, I appreciate being saved from becoming fried chicken.”

The edge of Host’s mouth turned up slightly at Y/N’s last words. “The Host tells Y/N that they are very welcome. He notices that Y/N used they/them pronouns for Bingiplier and realizes they should tell Y/N everyone’s proper pronouns to avoid confusion.

“The Host tells Y/N that both Googleplier and Bingiplier use he/they. The Host uses he/him, as does Dr. Iplier and most of his other siblings.”

_ ‘Other siblings?’ _ That made sense to Y/N. This place was way too huge for just four people. Er, beings, they suppose. And Bing, Google, Host, and Dr. Iplier looked like brothers, explaining why they all have the exact same face and skin tone.

It was quiet for a moment, as Y/N took in the new information and the four brothers took in Y/N. Dr. Iplier suddenly gave a tired sigh, running a hand across his face. “I guess I could clear my schedule this morning to help. I have some experience with amnesia, but not much. I figure it’s better than letting Google go berserk on you again.”

Google glared at the doctor once more as Y/N expressed their gratitude and asked him to lead the way. Host said he had to get to work and ran off, not without leaving Y/N thoroughly creeped out. Bing apparently didn’t have anywhere else to be, so he followed the trio back to Dr. Iplier’s office like a lost puppy.

...

“****! My Crocs, dude!”

Y/N whipped around to see Bing staring down sadly at his now coffee-covered ‘shoes.’ They gave a small giggle as they tried helping Bing get out of Dr. Iplier’s mess. The doctor just sighed. It was going to be a long morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit Google went a little crazy. I think Doc can keep him in check though. Also the target number for Y/N is like that because they're the first human(...?) out of seven billion or so that Google has to kill for his secondary objective. And yes I did just use foreshadowing.  
> I hope the part with the pronouns didn't seem too out of place, I wanted to introduce them as seamlessly as possible but oh well.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	4. The Clinic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright alright alright, another chapter done as I slowly go insane over how to introduce the other egos alsdkkgfjfasd. Sorry it's so late, I was at a family function literally ALL DAY and I only partially wrote out this chapter beforehand. Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy it!

It didn’t take too long to travel to Dr. Iplier’s office, since it was just down the hall from where he and Host were talking. Well, ‘office’ was a bit of an understatement. Y/N was imagining something the size of a guest bedroom, but where Dr. Iplier worked was much, much bigger.

The doctor’s office resembled more of a health clinic, with three hospital beds situated against the left wall. They were separated by curtains, and one of the beds seemed to be occupied as the curtains were drawn shut. There was also a surgery table a little ways from the beds, and a rolling cart with various surgical tools sat ready to be wheeled into use. The right side of the room was completely blocked off by a faux wall, and Y/N was curious as to what was on the other side.

Smack dab in the middle of the back wall was Dr. Iplier’s actual office space. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a wooden desk adorned with a laptop and several messy piles of papers. The doctor swept aside some of the papers and sat his coffee cup down. 

He sighed and turned towards the closed curtains. “Bim, I swear to God, if you are behind there with the most minor of injuries again I will throw a scalpel at you.”

The curtains were peeled back to reveal yet another person that looked exactly like Bing, along with his brothers. This one was sitting on the hospital bed, cross-legged, and wore a black and white business suit. They were also wearing a shit eating grin and nursing their hand, in a dramatic fashion that indicated they weren’t actually hurt. Y/N could just barely make out the small paper cut on their index finger.

“Why, doc, this paper cut could be fatal! I only just managed to stop the bleeding, there seriously was a lot of blood—hey, woah, who’s the hottie?”

This new person seemed to just spot Y/N and stopped their rambling abruptly. Y/N decided to take this chance to introduce themself, and hopefully distract Dr. Iplier from carrying through with his earlier statement. 

Y/N bushed and replied, “I-I’m Y/N. It’s nice to meet you…?”

The person on the bed got the message. They stood up and walked towards Y/N. “Yeah, I’m Bim. Bim Trimmer. Say, what’s a cutie like you doing with these losers?”

Y/N saw spots of purple in their peripheral vision and had the sudden, almost irresistible urge to kiss Bim. Bim was now tilting Y/N’s face upwards and they could feel their blush deepening. Luckily Dr. Iplier intervened before they did something to embarrass themselves. 

He rolled his eyes and pulled Bim away from Y/N. “Bim, seriously, did you forget the rule about new people?”

“Yeah, yeah, no using our powers on newbies,” Bim huffed. “But I just couldn’t resist~.”

They winked and Y/N felt their face involuntarily heat up again. But they started to process what Bim said. “Our powers”? Was Y/N in a different dimension or something? Did all of the siblings have these “powers” Bim was referring to? 

The doctor seemed to read Y/N’s mind ( _‘And who knows_ , Y/N thought, _maybe he actually can.’_ ) as he turned to them and seemed to struggle for a second with his words. He finally just sighed and said, “Look, there’s honestly no easy way to explain this. I, uh, I think I should let Google do the talking.”

But Google didn’t say a word. He was still glaring daggers at both Dr. Iplier and Y/N, clearly still upset that they didn’t get to complete their previous mission.

Dr. Iplier simply gave Google a look as he raised an eyebrow. “OK, Google.”

Y/N did not think that the android’s scowl could get any deeper but, alas, it did as he stood frozen in place, waiting for their orders.

“Who are we?”

Google’s eyes turned from brown to a blinding blue as he answered the doctor’s question. “Dr. Iplier, Bim Trimmer, Googleplier, and Bingiplier, as well as all 11 of their other ‘relatives,’ are the creations of Mark Edward Fischbach, better known as the Youtuber ‘Markiplier.’ Many of Fischbach’s creations are the result of one-off skits or jokes within his Youtube fanbase. Fischbach ‘plays’ as all of his creations, and thus all of them share his likeness. Fischbach does not know of his creations' existences and the creations would prefer to keep it that way. None of them know how they came into being, but it is extremely clear that when Fischbach’s fanbase shows enough admiration for one of his creations, they appear here.”

Y/N was pleasantly surprised to find that the people in the room with them weren’t human. Well, I mean, they kind of figured it was something like that when Bim mentioned them all having powers. But they were the products of one man’s vast imagination, and that amazed Y/N.

Wait. Did Google say that there were _11_ more of them?

“Dr. Iplier, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘Surgeon Simulator 2013 | Part 1 | I’M A DOCTOR!!,’ which released on April 19th, 2013, is not an actual doctor but has extensive and... admirable knowledge in the medical field. He possesses the ability to heal wounds at will.”

Y/N raised their eyebrows at the fact that Dr. Iplier wasn’t an actual doctor, but decided not to comment. Google did say that the ‘doctor’ knew a lot of medical information, and Y/N supposed that was close enough.

“Bim Trimmer, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘Hire My Ass [feat. Markiplier, Danny Sexbang & Matthias],’ which released December 10, 2014, is a game show host, specifically for the show ‘Hire My Ass.’ Bim is an incubus, and possesses the ability to make people fall in love with him.”

Bim winked at Y/N again, and it dawned on them why they were so star-struck by him. Bim had used his ability on Y/N. They honestly didn’t mind, but it was admittedly a bit freaky.

“Bingiplier, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘Google Gets An Upgrade,’ which released May 20th, 2017, is an android for the website bing.com. Bing possesses the ability to be an insufferable piece of scrap metal, and the inability to complete the most basic of searches and tasks.”

Y/N was stunned to hear Google berate Bing like that, but apparently the other two brothers thought nothing of it. Bing whispered, “Not cool, dude” and pouted as Google finished his explanation.

“Googleplier, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘Google IRL,’ which released October 31, 2014, is an android for the website google.com. Google possesses the ability to carry out his two main objectives using all of the technology given to them. His primary objective is to answer questions as quickly as possible. Their secondary objective is to destroy mankind.”

That answered Y/N’s question as to why Google tried to slaughter them. Who the heck programs a robot meant to help people to ‘destroy mankind’?

Google seemed to relax slightly as his eyes went back to their normal brown. Bing was still pouting, and Dr. Iplier shook his head as he turned his attention back to Y/N. “I hope that wasn’t too much to take in. ...Ah, who am I kidding, it was a _lot_ to take in. Just don’t faint or collapse or anything, I know I’m a doctor and all but I have more important things to attend to later besides an unconscious person and,” he turned suddenly and frowned at Bim, who held his hands up defensively, “any other _extremely minor_ injuries.”

Y/N soaked in this new information for a second, then hesitantly asked, “You said… Google, you said new creations just happen to show up here suddenly, right?”

Google gave the faintest look of confusion and faced Y/N but said, “That is correct.”

...

“What if… I’m a new creation?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "whoa another big cliffhanger oooooohhhh so scary i wonder whats gonna happen next!!!" I say to myself as if I haven't already used up two cliffhanger endings aslkdjhfad. I'm sorry for the semi predictable ending this time, my brain is fried. Also let me know if I got any of the information wrong for the egos in the info part, I tried to research as much as i could  
> ALSO for the '11 relatives' bit I want to let you know that no, I will not be including every single ego to ever exist into this story. I know there's at least eight other egos besides the ones I'm putting into this work, and maybe I'll explain who's going to be in here in the next chapter. Or you could always wait until I've introduced them all and glance at the tags dfkgjsfad  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	5. Visions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is brought to you by: "I am a dumbass and forgot that Bim doesn't have a FUCKING clue what's going on" sjdlkassdjhf. I hope you guys enjoy this very obvious attempt at me trying to avoid explaining the situation again, just pretend that Bim got it all explained to him during the first bit skfdjfhkff.

“The Host turned another page of his notebook and continued to scribble out ideas for his radio show. His mind was elsewhere, however, as he wondered for the twelfth time this morning how Y/N got here.”

The sunlight was just beginning to stream through Host’s window. The light illuminated the very spot where Host sat at his desk, and the various neat stacks of notebooks piled up next to it. Not that he needed it—he was blind, after all, and what blind person needs the light to see in the dark?

The Host’s office was fairly small, and he had only _just_ managed to squeeze in an armchair and a few bookshelves. One shelf was dedicated solely to his novels and, occasionally, some of his other brothers’ works (Bim managed to create a cookbook but it never gained traction, for obvious reasons...). The other contained multiple horror and science-fiction books, which were Host’s favorite genres by far. Some of them inspired stories for his radio show, and others were just enjoyable to read. All of the books on the two shelves were printed in Braille, of course.

“The Host reviews the events of earlier this morning in an attempt to make sense of the situation. Y/N had woken up in the very center of the Iplier’s backyard at precisely 6:58, with no memories of their previous life. Bingiplier felt compelled to check the yard as he was taking their early morning jog around the Manor, and to his surprise there was something out there.”

Host never understood why Bing did that. He was an android, and was crafted in excellent condition. Therefore there was no need for them to jog everyday. Perhaps it helped keep rust under control?

And Bing being ‘compelled’ to look outside wasn’t completely true. Host may or may not have given him a nudge in the right direction.

“Bingiplier met Y/N and took them to see Googleplier in the workshop. Neither of them knew how Y/N got to the Manor, and both thought that Googleplier might have some answers.

“Googleplier did not have an answer to Y/N’s question, as he was intent on catching and killing them instead. They chased Y/N around the Manor, eventually trapping them against a wall. Luckily, the Host and Dr. Iplier were near the two, and saved Y/N before things turned ugly.

“Y/N introduced themselves and explained what had happened. Dr. Iplier offered to help and he, Googleplier, Bingiplier, and Y/N ventured towards the clinic. The Host bid them farewell, as he had work to attend to.”

Host frowned as he stopped writing and ran a hand through his hair. It wouldn’t hurt to see what they were up to now. It could potentially help him solve this mystery.

Host inhaled as the clinic emerged before him. Y/N looked tense and nervous, and everyone else in the room had their eyebrows raised. “Y/N waited with bated breath as Googleplier, Bingiplier, Dr. Iplier and now Bim Trimmer looked at them in bewilderment. There was an off chance that was a possibility, and the four ‘brothers’ considered it for a moment before letting logic take the lead. All of Fischbach’s creations remember their past lives before materializing at the Manor. And they all appeared at the front door, rather than in the backyard.”

Host frowned deeper. Had Y/N really thought that they were a new ‘ego’? They looked nothing like Fischbach, not to mention they couldn’t remember anything. His 'brothers' were right: new egos usually showed up at the front door, very confused but knowing exactly where they were beforehand.

Host was still stumped. He backed out of the clinic vision before resting his forehead on the desk with a small ‘bonk.’ He had tried doing something similar when he inquired about what Y/N was doing previously to showing up at the Manor, but all he saw was black. However, on the seven occasions this morning that he tried doing that, the darkness was one different from the usual resting color. The black seemed to suck up all the light available in the atmosphere, an abyss that stretched for an infinite number of miles. 

Host replayed the morning’s events for the thirteenth time. “The Host reviews the events of earlier this morning in an attempt to make sense of the situation. Y/N had woken up in the very center of the Iplier’s backyard at precisely 6:58, with no memories of their previous life. Bingiplier...”

Wait. That was it! Y/N didn’t remember anything from before, in the physical sense, at least. But it was possible that…

Host suddenly sat up, an idea and vision fresh in his mind. “Y/N had woken up in the very center of the Iplier’s backyard at precisely 6:58, with no memories of their previous life. They did clearly remember, however, the lucid dream that they were jolted awake from.”

And so Host jumped straight into the nightmare, encountering the vast blackness for the eighth time. He witnessed the murder and experienced the pain before turning to the mirror.

…

Host recognized the reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oooohh wow are you guys fed up with the cliff hanger endings yet? Also I quite enjoy writing from Host's perspective, I will definitely be doing more of it in the future. Also did you catch the reference to Bim being a cannibal? I'm a sucker for subtle references alksjhkgfd.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	6. The Attempt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all really had to go and crash ao3 for like thirty minutes because of a damn dreamsmp fic smh. Anyway here's the next chapter, I almost forgot to post it because I was working on a different fic sakjgkjfdk. I'm really proud of this chapter, and I know that the last time I said I would upload another chapter in a day I didn't but I promise that this time I will! I am feeling extremely motivated so you will see another chapter later today uwu.

It was around 9:30 when they all decided to give up. Dr. Iplier had tried every trick in the book to get Y/N to remember their past life: hypnosis, neurofeedback, he even had Bing and Google start mimicking common sounds you’d hear around the house. None of them worked.

Y/N told them about their nightmare, of course, after being convinced they weren’t an ‘ego’. They described it in as much detail as their brain would allow, but they couldn’t bring themselves to tell them what the reflection looked like. Y/N didn’t leave it out of the picture completely, of course, they just dodged the question of it’s appearance. Y/N simply told the doctor and his brothers that the reflection resembled a person, but was too blurry to make out any distinct features. Y/N didn’t know _why_ they had the urge to keep that information from them. It wasn’t like a grey being in a fancy dinner suit was going to be important to them...right?

“Dude, I don’t know what to tell you,” Bing sighed and crossed his arms. “We’ve been at this for about _two hours_ , bruh, I don’t think you’re getting those memories back.”

Dr. Iplier glanced quickly at Bing, then returned to looking over the new note pages scattered across his desk. His coffee cup had fallen off and been abandoned, having been empty for a while. “I hate to be the bringer of bad news—”

“Yeah, right, you tell at least one of us every day that we’re dying.” Y/N really hoped Bim was just joking.

The doctor glared at him before looking apologetically at Y/N and continuing. “—but I’ve just about exhausted all of our options. I can’t really attempt to cure your amnesia without a friend or relative of yours being present, and since you showed up here alone that’s pretty much impossible. Unless you can remember at least someone’s name, there isn’t much else I can try. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

He looked like he truly meant it, but Y/N couldn’t help from feeling disappointed as they lied and said, “It’s alright. I just hope it comes back to me eventually, I’d really hate to be stuck here burdening you all.”

Bing stood up from his seat next to Bim and clapped Y/N on the back. “Nah, dude, you’re good! To be honest it was starting to get a little boring over here anyway without any new faces around. It’s been, what, a year now since the three new guys came?”

Google spoke up. “It has been precisely 1 year, 2 months, 12 days, 21 hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds since the release of ‘A Heist With Markiplier’ and the arrival of Yancy, Illinois and Captain Magnum.”

“Yeah, see, dude, you just made things interesting! We’re not gonna toss you out now or anything, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“I sure as hell hope we aren’t tossing them out now, I want to have some fun first~.” Bim winked at Y/N for the thirty-sixth time. Yes, Y/N kept count, and it was a wonder that Bim’s eyelids on his right eye didn’t stay permanently shut. He must either be really into Y/N or too stubborn to drop the act.

“If you really can’t remember anything and have nowhere else to go, I suppose we’d better introduce you to our other siblings. Er, Bing, Google, and Bim can introduce you. I have a ton of work to get caught up on, paperwork doesn’t sign itself, you know.”

Y/N cringed and muttered another “sorry.”

Bim rolled his eyes. “You know you could just ask Marvin to enchant your pen for you or perform some other batshit crazy spell. I got him to do mine and look at me, I’ve got ten extra minutes everyday now!”

Now it was Dr. Iplier’s turn to roll his eyes. “I prefer to do my work manually, thank you very much. And I’d prefer not to bother the Septics if I can help it, I can’t stand to be over there in the implied presence of Schneeplestein.”

Y/N was left to be confused as Bim replied, “Whatever. C’mon, Y/N, We’ll show you around. Hopefully there’s an extra room somewhere you can sleep in. Or you could sleep with me~.”

Bim winked for the thirty-seventh time. Y/N mentally facepalmed as the four of them left Dr. Iplier to his mountain of paperwork.

~ ꕤꕤꕤꕤꕤ ~

On the way back through the hallway, Bing and Bim managed to explain to Y/N what in the world Dr. Iplier was talking about. This surprised them, as they thought they would let Google clarify. Instead they let him trail behind the trio, and Y/N had to fight the urge to look over their shoulder every three seconds to make sure the android wasn’t glaring daggers into their back.

“So basically, we’re the Ipliers, right? We’re made by this guy Markiplier, which Googs already explained back there,” Bing vaguely gestured behind the group.

“The Septics are like us, except they resemble their creator Seán Mcgloughlin instead of Fischbach,” Bim finished.

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “But why are they called the Septics?”

“Their creator’s Youtube channel name is ‘jacksepticeye.’ ”

“Ah,” Y/N said, “OK. Who were the two people you guys mentioned?”

Bing twisted around (literally _twisted_ : his bottom half kept walking forward while their top half rotated backward to face Google. Y/N found this extremely unnerving and tried to keep looking straight ahead) and said “OK, Google.”

They didn’t wait until Google stopped completely before saying, “Keep walking with our group and explain who Marvin and Schneep are.”

Google kept walking and replied, “Speaking results for, ‘who is marvin?’ ‘M.A.R.V.I.N., which stands for ‘Michigan’s Automated Response Voice Interactive Network’ ’—”

Bing groaned as Bim was sent into hysterical laughter. “Bro, c’mon, you knew what I meant. Did you really have to do me like that?”

Google smirked as he began an actual explanation. “Marvin the Magnificent, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘The Jacksepticeye Power Hour - Marvin's Magic,’ which was released August 11, 2016, is a magician. Marvin possesses the ability to use his magical knowledge and powers for better or worse. The main sources of his powers are his spellbook and his mask.”

Y/N found this interesting. Marvin wore a mask? Maybe it was just for dramatic effect. He was a magician, after all.

“Henrik von Schneeplestein, first officially appearing in a video titled ‘The Jacksepticeye Power Hour - Dr. Schneeplestein,’ which was released September 15, 2016, is a surgeon. Schneeplestein possesses the ability to heal wounds at will.”

It was interesting to hear that Schneeplestein had the same powers and sort-of profession as Dr. Iplier. Y/N wondered why the two didn’t get along.

“Hmm… do you know why Dr. Iplier and Schneeplestein don’t like each other?”

Both Bim and Bing snickered. Bim answered with a simple, “You’ll find out eventually.”

And Y/N was left to ponder that extremely cryptid response for only a moment, as they had reached their destination faster than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I think Bim needs to get his eyes checked by Dr. Iplier, I'm surprised he didn't comment about a potential spasm while they were in there lkdjldfdks. Also that's literally the first thing to pop up when you search the specific phrase 'who is marvin,' I thought it would be funny lkhfsglfjd. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	7. The Other Siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alskhgsjfalj finally some good fucking content. I've finally introduced more egos into this story. I might gradually add more, as the story progresses, and obviously I'm going to properly introduce Dark at some point, but this is the whole crew for now :)  
> Also I need to go through and edit some pieces of this story now because I am, once again, a dumbass. I forgot that I gave Yan she/they pronouns sakjfhkhdjs am I a bad person?  
> Also also see I told you all I would follow through with my promise sdkjhgslfhgfd

Y/N did not expect to see the things they were currently seeing.

The Iplier’s kitchen and living room were connected, creating one large space. The kitchen had a dark theme to it, and the cabinets and backsplash were a deep grey. The countertops looked to be made of a black marbled granite. They were currently covered all over in a powdery white substance that Y/N could only hope was flour or sugar. Three people were standing in there, throwing around the white powder as if it were snow. One of them seemed to be wearing a black and white prison uniform, though most of the black wasn’t visible anymore from the powder. The other two looked to be ganging up on the prison person. One wore a patterned shirt, with a yellow handkerchief tucked in the pocket, and the other had vibrant red hair. Both had barely any powder on them: it seemed that the individual in the prison uniform was a bad shot.

The living room gave off a totally different vibe. It had more of a light theme, as all of the furniture was a light brown. There were several hanging plants near the large one-panel window, and someone wearing a crown and cape was watering one of them. The couch was occupied with someone wearing some adventuring gear. They were obviously trying to take a nap, a fedora-like hat covering their face. The hat kept disappearing in puffs of pink smoke, and the person kept sitting up with a scowl only to find that their hat was poofed back on their head. It seemed like the pink-mustached person sitting in the lounge chair across the room was enjoying the other’s eternal struggle.

Y/N thought they looked like one big, happy family and felt an ache in their chest. Why were they feeling this way? They hoped it was because they yearned for their memories of their own family to come back, and not because they yearned for a family in general. 

The three people in the kitchen paused their little game as the group entered the room. Well, not quite.

_Poof!_ “Ha! I fine’lly got's one’a youse!”

The person in the prison uniform did a small victory dance (which was more of a jig) as the person with vibrant hair protested. “No fair, Yancy! That shouldn’t count, we were distracted! Eric, tell him he cheated!”

‘Eric,’ the person wearing the patterned shirt and fresh coat of powder, replied, “I-I don’t know… we didn’t… didn’t call a t-timeout or anyt-thing, Yan...”

‘Yan’ pouted but seemed to agree. “I guess so. So, who’s the newbie? Ooh ooh ooh, did we finally get another sibling?!?”

‘Yan’ started jumping up and down, obviously excited at the prospect of having another member of the ‘family.’ Y/N opened their mouth to start explaining, but Google beat them to it. 

“Y/N will be residing here for a time. They are not one of Fischbach’s creations, but they will be staying here anyhow. The situation will be fully explained to all of you in due time.”

Google amplified his voice gradually to make sure those in the living room heard them. Though he needn’t have bothered: all three of them stood in the kitchen now.

The person with the crown now had a… was that a _squirrel_ on their shoulder? Was it hygienically acceptable for them to be standing in the kitchen with a wild animal? The mustached person was in the process of delivering a noogie to the adventuring individual, even though they were at least a foot taller than them.

The person with the crown looked confused, but apparently not from the question of why Y/N was here. “Where are they gonna sleep? Don’t new bedrooms only appear for new egos?”

“I’m sure we’ll work something out...” the person in the adventuring outfit put their hat back on properly and winked at Y/N. “I’ve got space in my bed if they need it~.”

_What was it with these people being so flirty?_

Y/N blushed and replied, “That w-won’t be necessary, um… Bim already offered in case there aren’t any spare rooms...” The adventurer gave a scandalized look at Bim as the show host stuck his tongue out at them. 

The mustached person told Y/N, “Well don’t be shy! Go on, introduce yourself, gumdrop! We don’t bite! ...Well, most of us don’t bite, Bim over there tends to give in to his urges a lot.”

Bim suddenly burst out in anger: “That rumor was started by the Jim twins, Wilford, and that was years ago! Are you seriously still believing that lie? I swear to God I’ll rip off your mustache and shove it up your—”

Bing cut Bim off and saved everyone from listening to whatever he was going to do with ‘Wilford’s’ mustache. “Uh, dude, they actually don’t remember anything. And Googs already told you their name, weren’t you listening?”

The mustached person stroked their mustache as they pretended to think. “Hmmm, yes, what _was_ I doing just twenty seconds ago? Oh yeah!”

They put their whole arm around the adventurer’s neck which, again, was an incredible feat because of the height difference, and pulled them into a headlock. “I was playing with ol’ Illinois here!”

‘Illinois’ expressed annoyance at the mention of his and the mustached person’s earlier ‘playtime.’ They just sighed and said, “I suggest _we_ should introduce ourselves then. Paint them a picture of what they’re dealing with.”

‘Illinois’ managed to pull themself out of the head lock and walk over to Y/N. They took Y/N’s hand and kissed the back of it before saying, “The name’s Illinois. Pleasure to meet you, Y/N. Oh, and my pronouns are he/him, though you can refer to me as very/handsome.” He winked again and Y/N could just barely hear Bim mutter, “Fucking asshole, trying to upstage me, I swear to God—,” before the rest was lost to ‘Yancy’ introducing themself next.

“I’d’ve come ove' dere and shook youse’s hand, or copied whateva da hell Illy just did, Y/N, honest, but I’s ‘fraid of coverin’ youse in floua. Name’s Yancy. He/him pronouns, please and dank youse.”

‘Eric’ went next. They were visibly paler than when Y/N saw them earlier, supposedly from nerves. They were slightly shaking as they said, “I-it’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I… I would have gone over there too but… but I-I’ve got flour a-all over me too, and I don’t want to… want to ruin y-your outfit. My name’s E-Eric, and my… my pronouns are h-he/him.”

‘Yan’ immediately ran over to Y/N and gave them a hug, pushing Illinois out of the way (not that Y/N minded, he was still very close to them even after having introduced himself). They drew back, talking a mile a minute as they brushed some flour off of Y/N. “Ahhhh, it’s so good to see a fresh face around here!! It was getting reeeeaaallly boring. I’m Yan, I use she/they pronouns. I hope we get to be the best of friends! …Eventually! Once you get settled in!”

It was ‘Wilford’s’ turn to introduce themself, and they were almost as enthusiastic as Yan. They walked—well, more like bounced—over to Y/N and rapidly shook their hand. “My name is Wilford Warfstache. It’s a pleasure to meet you, gumdrop! You can use he/him pronouns for me, sugar. Say, call me when you get settled in, I’d love to do an interview with you.”

Wilford let go of Y/N’s hand as a business card poofed into his in a puff of pink smoke. He handed the card to Y/N with a wink and walked away.

There was only one other person that needed to introduce themselves. The person with the crown walked over to Y/N and grasped their hand in a firm handshake. “Hello there, my name is King, I use he/him pronouns! It’s nice to meet you, wait, Smokey, NO—”

But King was unable to stop his black squirrel from hopping off of his shoulder and onto Y/N’s. The squirrel’s fluffy tail tickled their neck and they giggled as Smokey nuzzled into the side of Y/N’s face.

There was a collective “awwww” from the egos still in the room, and as King tried prying Smokey away from Y/N, they had a feeling they would settle into the Manor just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Help I am addicted to found family dynamics sdklhgjkjfjd.  
> Also I LOVE writing Yancy and Eric's dialogue, it's so fun I just ahhhhhhdsfjfksldjlg  
> Also also I think some of the Iplier egos are just hardwired to make flirty comments every twelfth of a second and I find that hilarious  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	8. The Photograph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whaalakflkhj I'm sorry this is a little late, but according to my statistics none of you read the new chapters until after midnight where I live so it should be fine. Enjoy!

Y/N was paraded around the Manor by Yan, Yancy, Bim, and Bing for the rest of the morning. Google left for their workshop, most likely to finish that paperwork he left on the desk. Illinois went back to his nap, thankfully uninterrupted since Wilford left for his studio, and Eric and King were left to clean up the mess in the kitchen. King kept calling bullshit since he wasn’t even participating in the ‘flour fight,’ but no one seemed to hear him.

Y/N was led (and sometimes chased, as Yan seemed to enjoy making Y/N run away and back) through multiple hallways that housed the egos’ bedrooms, offices, and special break areas. Some of them were interesting, like King’s giant squirrel dome and Yancy’s music room. Y/N did indeed have a bedroom, which they gathered from their guides’ reactions to when they neared the end of the bedroom hallway.

After a while of standing aimlessly around the new door, Yancy was the first one to comment on it. “Huh. I don’t rememba’ dis room bein’ here before.”

The door to said room was in perfect condition and made out of a plain oak wood, completely unlike all of the other bedroom doors. See, each Iplier had a unique door and room, with the exception of Google and Bing, of course. For example, Yan’s room theme was ‘typical anime schoolgirl,’ and her door was made out of Japanese beech wood. And Wilford’s was a sickenly bright palette of pink and red. His door was well-used and had various candy wrappers stapled onto it. It was very strange indeed to see a regular door down this hallway.

“Well hurry up, Y/N, open it already! C’mon, c’mon, c’mon, I want to see why it’s so different!”

“Oh my God, Yan, calm down,” Bim sighed. “How does Eric put up with all this energy...”

Yan just managed to shout an “Ex-fucking-SCUSE me?!” before their attention was diverted to Y/N opening the door to their room.

The room… was basically as plain as the door. The furniture and walls were a very light gray, and the comforter on the queen-sized bed was patterned with gray and white stripes. There were decals of dark clouds along the top half of the wall, and above the dresser sat…

Y/N gasped. The mirror looked exactly like the one from their nightmare, cracks and all. Bim and Bing, having been there when Y/N described the damn thing, looked in and gasped too. 

“Uh, dude, is that…? Y’know… _the_ mirror?”

Yancy and Yan gave them all a confused look before Y/N took a step into the room. They didn’t reply to Bing as they walked toward the mirror with their eyes closed. Y/N waited for a few tense seconds before they slowly opened their eyes, expecting to be grabbed as soon as they looked into it.

...Of course. Y/N saw only their reflection, not _the_ reflection. Honestly, what were they thinking? It was just a nightmare, it couldn’t be real.

“...Is any o’ youse gonna fill us in on what da hell dat was?”

Yancy and Yan still looked extremely confused as Y/N breathed a sigh of relief and turned around. “You know how Bing said I couldn’t remember anything? That wasn’t completely true... I was dreaming before I woke up here.” Y/N briefly described the events of the nightmare, leaving out the details of the reflection again. Yancy looked concerned, and Yan looked from Y/N and the mirror a few times before stepping into the room. 

She eagerly started inspecting the mirror. “So this mirror was in your nightmare? Whoa, that’s kind of freaky. I’d still be a bit creeped out if I were—hey look, a button!”

But before Y/N could ask where it was located or what it looked like, Yan had pushed it. The button opened up the bottom section of the mirror’s frame, which was apparently a secret drawer, and inside was a single photograph. Only the back of it was visible.

Y/N gently pushed Yan out of the way, and they seemed to understand that they wanted some space. Perhaps the picture was... personal.

It _was_ personal, but not for whatever reason Yan was thinking of. The back of the photo read, in loopy but legible cursive handwriting, “First day on the job with Dames! June 16 1919.” Y/N turned it over and gasped again. It was… them! They were in the picture! Someone else was in the picture too, most likely this ‘Dames’ individual, but their face had been scribbled out in blue pen. The person had their arm around Y/N’s shoulder and was waving to the camera shyly, cane in hand. Y/N was waving, too, and both of their hands were blurry from the photo being taken in the middle of it.

Y/N couldn’t believe it. That was _their face,_ in a picture from... over a century ago. They felt tears of frustration prick their eyes as they scrambled to remember something, _anything_ , about this event or the other person, or why they had been drawn over. But again, they came up with nothing.

They didn’t realize they were fully crying until someone turned them around and wrapped Y/N in a hug. The photo dropped to the carpeted floor as Bim attempted to calm Y/N down. Bing walked in and picked up the picture. “Oh, jeez, dude...”

He showed the picture to Yancy and Yan, and they all examined it as Y/N pulled away from Bim and wiped their eyes. “Sorry. I’m just… I feel weird. I’m supposed to know what that is, or who that is, and I don’t, and I _guess_ I’m a hundred years old and I should be dead or something but—”

“Hey hey hey, youse’s OK, Y/N. It’s gonna be OK. We’s gonna help youse figure it out. Promise.”

“Yeah, we’d be kind of shit friends if we left you here alone to cry about this.”

“You are ever so tactful, Yan.”

“I try, Bim!!”

Bing just nodded his head and chose to ignore Yan and Bim’s bickering. “Yeah, bruh, we’re gonna do whatever it takes to get you to remember this. Maybe we can take this to Doc? Earlier he said he needed a name, and now we have one, dude! ...Kinda.”

Y/N smiled at him and nodded their head, but before they could verbally agree their stomach spoke for them.

“...Maybe we should get lunch first, though, bruh.”

And the five of them walked back to the kitchen, closing the plain door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God I think this is my favorite chapter so far. And you won't believe how much research I had to do in order for everything to make sense, I've still got like twenty tabs open on my browser sdkfhlgkjfd. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	9. The Interruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw shit, here we go again fjgskfkds. Two chapters in one day, again?? You know it baby! Enjoy

Lunch didn’t go too horribly wrong. It turns out Yancy was bad at cooking pretty much anything, including microwavable meals (“I was distracted, a’ight?  _ Hamilton _ was playin’ and I’s forgot about’s da damn ramen noodles, youse can’t blame me!”), so he and Bing left it up to Yan and Bim. 

Bim wanted to make some sort of meat dish he found on the internet yesterday, but Yan put her foot down. “No, Bim, you always undercook meat and it turns out pink and gross! I am  _ not _ feeding my new friend some raw, fleshy meal! God, and you wonder why the Jims thought you were a  _ cannibal! _ ”

Y/N simply suggested that they could make some frozen chicken nuggets or something even easier, but their request fell on deaf ears. After a few more minutes of the two yelling at each other, Bing leaned closer to Y/N and lowered his volume. “Hey, dude, it’s alright. Watch this.”

Bim leaned away and turned towards the arguing egos. Yancy looked over, just as curious as Y/N as to what they were about to do. Bing upped his volume and yelled, “AY YO! Y/N WANTS SOME NUGGETS!!”

Bim and Yan immediately turned to Y/N, who blushed at the sudden attention. “Of course, sweetheart, we can do that—” “Why didn’t you say anything?? Hell yeah we can make some nuggets—!” “I’ll get them out now—” “Ooh, ooh, can we make the cute dino ones—?!”

Y/N was… impressed. They snickered and raised an eyebrow as they turned to Bing, who simply smirked and leaned back in their chair. “You’re welcome, bruh.” Yancy was laughing so hard he started choking, and Yan had to abandon the nuggets for a minute to come save him, albeit a bit aggressively.

During the cooking and eating process of the nuggets, only two other egos ventured into the kitchen. Wilford teleported suddenly in front of the fridge, grabbed a tupperware container, and teleported away within a second. Eric walked in and almost fainted: he thought the ketchup on Bim’s face was blood. Yan and Bing were practically dying over the concept of having another ‘Cannibal Jim’ incident, and Bim was in a salty mood for the rest of the meal and on the way past Dr. Iplier’s office.

“I’ll see you later, cutie~,” was Bim’s last comment to Y/N before leaving for his and Wilford’s recording studio. Y/N made to hide their involuntary blush.

The trio of Ipliers and Y/N made to open the door, but Y/N hesitated. They had had the urge to turn back, or head anywhere else besides the doctor’s office, on the entire way there. It was as if they sensed something important was happening behind the door that shouldn’t be interrupted. “Uh… maybe we shouldn’t bother him, guys. He did say he was going to be busy...”

Bing scoffed. “Relax, dude, I bother him all the time, nothing serious could possibly—”

But Bing was dead wrong. Y/N’s instincts had been right, there  _ was _ something important going on in Dr. Iplier’s clinic. Host sat on one of the hospital beds, and his face bandages were removed. He had two empty, bloody sockets where his eyes should have been. Y/N, surprisingly, was not that unnerved by the absence of Host’s eyes. At least now they knew why he talked in the third person.

“Bingiplier and his company, despite all of the Host’s careful narrations, managed to open the door and disturb him and Dr. Iplier.”

Bing let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a mouse squeaking and slammed the door shut again. “Host, bro, I am  _ so _ sorry, I had no idea, my bad, bruh—”

Host had to slightly yell now, but Y/N was still able to hear him through the door and cringe at his next words. “The Host does not blame Bingiplier, and he certainly does not blame Y/N, of whom he was discreetly warning. He expected them to voice their concerns, but the Host seems to have made a mistake. It is the Host who should be apologizing.

“All eyes in the hallway outside of the doctor’s clinic turned to Y/N, as they mouthed a small ‘My bad.’ ”

It was a weird sensation, moving without consent. Y/N knew they were going to start wordlessly apologizing eventually, but it was strange to be forced to do it three milliseconds early.

“What do you all want? DId I not say that I was going to be busy? Is Bim out there again, too, I swear one of these days I  _ will _ start throwing surgical scissors at him—”

Y/N spoke up before Dr. Iplier started to fly into a fit of rage. They didn’t want Host getting hurt. “I-I’m not Bim, sir, I… I remembered a name.”

All previous insults towards Bim were halted. Y/N added quickly, “But it’s not that major, I mean, we think it’s just a nickname anyway, you don’t have to clear your schedule or anything—!”

Dr. Iplier cut them off. “I’m not going to clear my schedule, but I guess I could try again after I’m done with Host here. If he’d stop being dramatic with the blood pooling, maybe he wouldn’t need his bandages changed so often.”

“The Host has no idea what Dr. Iplier is talking about.” Y/N could only imagine Host’s sarcastic grin on the other side of the door, as they smiled and started to thank the doctor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing this one too, the egos just being in everyday settings makes me go as feral as HeeHoo dfjnkfjfd  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	10. Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sdjgkfjds This is a short chapter, but I really want to try and make every fifth chapter a Host POV, so here you go. Enjoy!

Host continued to work on ideas for his radio show, but he barely got any _real_ work done. He was constantly distracted with the question, “Should I tell him?”

Lunch rolled around, and after heavily weighing the pros and cons of if he did, Host decided to go and tell him. The absolute worst thing that could happen is he would throw Host out of his office. Literally.

So Host stood in front of his office door now, knocking twice. 

“You may enter.” Host opened the door and stepped in.

The office was about the size of Host’s. The walls were a deep, deep navy color, and all of the furniture was an even deeper black. They were colored _even deeper_ by the office occupant’s aura, swirling around the room and blocking out the sunlight. Though there really wasn’t much to block anyway: the blue curtains were drawn shut.

Someone was sitting at the desk on the left of the room, and they glowered at Host as he entered. “Don’t keep it open too long, now, you know my aura likes to... escape.”

Host continued narrating to himself quietly, as he often did to get around the Manor, and the person at the desk could barely hear, “The Host begins closing the door slower so as to annoy Darkiplier.”

‘Darkiplier’s’ scowl deepened as blue and red images of himself appeared and flickered in and out. They sighed. “Host, God damn it, what do you want?” 

Host looked—OK, well, you know what I mean—around the room and said, “The Host will tell Darkiplier why he was here originally if he will humor Host as to why he is sitting in the dark.”

‘Darkiplier’ shouted, “Host if you don’t tell me why you are in here so help me God—”

“The Manor has a new member. ...Darkiplier does not react at all to this information.”

Host was right. Dark didn’t bat an eye. Instead, he turned back to his paperwork and continued skimming through it. “I have heard about this... ‘Y/N’. News travels fast around here.”

It was at that moment that Host could faintly hear someone shouting. It was something about ‘Y/N’ and ‘nuggets.’

“The Host is aware. He is here to tell Darkiplier something about Y/N. Perhaps Darkiplier could... help him.”

Dark laughed, a humorless sound. “Help you? Host, why would I _help_ you?”

“The Host asks that Darkiplier listen to what he has to say. It will only take a few more minutes.”

And Dark complied, as Host recounted the tale of the nightmare. He described everything to a T, including the mirror and the reflection. Dark raised an eyebrow slightly when Host started narrating what the reflection looked like, but waited until Host was finished before speaking.

“That’s… unusual.” Dark really didn’t know what else to say. That pretty much summed it up. 

It was unusual for Y/N to be dreaming of Dark, since the two didn’t know each other at all. It was unusual for Host to come to him with such trivial information. 

It was unusual for Dark to feel… concerned, was it? Yes, Dark felt a bit concerned. Not for Y/N, no, not by a long shot, but for himself. If Y/N was dreaming about him, he might be targeted. He couldn’t stand for that.

“The Host senses Darkiplier is thinking this over and will now take his leave.” Host did just that, bidding Dark and his new feelings farewell before heading to the clinic. He hoped the group in the kitchen stayed there for a bit. He didn’t want them to accidentally walk in on one of his daily bandage changes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's just sitting there...MENACINGLY!!! I like writing Dark, he's a complex character and fun to think of dialogue for, Of course, I had to change some of it a least three times so he wasn't OOC but it was worth it skdjfkhfjds.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	11. The Memory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, a longer chapter to make up for the previous super short one sdkjhgkfd. Also finally, we get some actual story progression. I'm sorry for making this story go so slow, honestly I'm thinking about tagging it as a slowburn sdkfkjfshd.

While Dr. Iplier finished with Host’s bandages, the group outside chatted. Well, it was mostly Yan asking Y/N a bunch of questions about themself, and Yancy and Bing repeatedly telling them that _they didn’t remember anything, did no one listen to Bing anymore—?_

The door opened and the group moved out of Host’s way. He smiled and waved at Y/N before leaving, and Y/N smiled politely back even though he couldn’t really see it. Yancy, Yan, Bing, and Y/N entered the clinic.

Y/N felt a little nervous, their knuckles lighter from holding the photograph so tightly. They knew a name now, they could get some memories back, but why did they feel like this was going to go wrong?

Dr. Iplier came over to the group, having finished cleaning up the area where he was working on Host. He smiled tiredly and asked, “All right, before I start I’m going to need that name.”

Y/N handed over the photo, hoping that it could explain for them. They handed it to the doctor face down, so he saw the writing first. He looked at it, muttering the words aloud, and turned it over. His face fell. “What in the… is that…?”

Dr. Iplier looked from the real Y/N to the Y/N in the photograph a few times before Y/N nodded. “I don’t understand it either. I’m hoping that I will after we try again.”

The doctor took a deep breath. “Of course. Let me grab something real quick.”

He came back a few seconds later with a stack of pillows. Y/N, as well as the trio of other egos, looked confused. “I did some research before Host was scheduled to come in, and I think this should work better than what we tried earlier.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow. “I thought you had ‘extensive medical knowledge,’ Dr.?”

He flushed and replied, “Yeah, well, I’m no expert in _quack_ doctoring.” He clapped a hand to his mouth before removing it and adding, “I’m sorry, I’ve been so stressed lately, I didn’t mean to snap at you—”

Bing cut Dr. Iplier off. “Bruh, it’s fine, we can leave if you want us to, Doc.”

He just shook his head. “No, no, I’ve already committed to it, we might as well continue.”

The doctor had Y/N lay down on one of the hospital beds, telling them to “make themself comfortable!” So that was what the pillows were for.

Dr. Iplier started speaking in a low, soothing voice. “Close your eyes for me. Take a deep breath, try to relax.”

There was a burst of laughter from the group watching the two, and Y/N opened their eyes again to find Bing doubled over, and Yan leaning on Yancy. The doctor was glaring at all of them.

“BWAHAHAHA!!! Doc, what are you DOING—?!”

“Yeah, Doc, are youse tryin’ ta seduce dem’s or somedin’—?”

“Oh my God, Doc, this is looks _mad_ sus—”

“If you three don’t _shut, the, HELL, up_ , I will banish you from _ever_ entering this room again. I don’t care if you’re out there _wailing and screaming_ , I will not help you.”

The trio stopped laughing.

“Thank God.” Dr. Iplier turned back to Y/N, “This is embarrassing. I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable, Y/N, this is… new territory for me. You can have them leave if you want.”

Y/N shook their head. “It’s alright, sir. They’re my emotional support goons, they can stay.” All three of them beamed as Y/N closed their eyes.

The doctor went through the process of hypnosis again, and this time it felt a little more real. He actually got Y/N into a trance, and at the exact moment Dr. Iplier mentioned ‘Dames’ Y/N fell into a memory.

They were experiencing it firsthand, like they were standing there in real time. Was this supposed to happen? Were they supposed to be feeling the summer sun on their skin, the light breeze through their hair? Were they supposed to be seeing the Manor before them in such vivid detail? 

They looked down, as they felt something in their hand. They held it up and examined it: it was a small envelope, with a broken, gold-colored seal. Apparently they had already seen what was inside, but it couldn’t hurt to look again. They opened the envelope and found a card, an invitation of sorts, that read, “You’ve been cordially invited to Poker Night at Markiplier Manor, July 26, 1919, at 7 pm,” and below it was the address and Y/N’s name. Their _full_ name. How could they have forgotten their last name, it was so easy to remember!

They examined their hands and found a watch on their right wrist. It was an analog clock, and the time read 6:55 pm. They were right on time, it seemed.

Y/N looked back up towards the Manor’s magnificent front doors. There was someone at the top of the steps leading to them, wearing a sort of safari uniform. As Y/N approached, the person turned around and said, “Oh, bully! And here I thought I was gonna be the last guest to arrive. My friends call me the Colonel, you’re welcome to do the same, should it please you.” They bowed before stepping aside. “But, uh, after you!”

Y/N opened their mouth to say thank you, but found they couldn’t speak. They just smiled politely then, hoping the thank-you message got across to this Colonel. As they passed them to open the doors, Y/N felt… uneasy. There was something familiar in the twinkle of the Colonel’s eyes, the twitch of their mustache, the drawl of their accent.

Y/N shrugged it off as they were greeted by a butler in the foyer. “Ah, _bonjour!_ Welcome to Markiplier Manor! Your invitation, please.” They handed over the envelope and the butler said “Very good, very good! Right this way,” before leading them further into the manor. “Good luck at the table tonight, I shall fetch you a drink forthwith.”

The butler left to grab Y/N’s drink, and in his place stood two people deep in conversation. One wore a trench coat and detective’s hat, and the other…

Y/N froze. It was the reflection. 

It was wearing a pin that read ‘Mayor’ in neat cursive, and there was a white rose pinned to it’s suit. It was also holding a cane, but it wasn’t leaning on it.

A chill went down Y/N’s spine as the reflection turned to them, smiling, and said, “Ah, there you are, old friend! How are you settling into your new office? Now I know it’ll take some getting used to, but there’s no one I would rather have alongside me to protect this great city of ours.”

Y/N started to black out as the reflection continued, “Now, I’ll see you at the table soon, but try not to rob me blind again. We’ll catch up...”

Y/N screamed as they woke up back in the clinic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God bless whoever uploaded the transcript of WKM to Wattpad dlskgkjfd. My Youtube has been funky for the past week or so, I'm glad that there was a transcript floating around. Again, I had to do some research for this chapter, so if anything is wrong feel free to tell me!  
> Also thank you guys so much for 100 hits! I am really enjoying writing this story and I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading it!  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	12. I am a Dumb of AssTM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not an actual chapter in the story. This is just some notes for you and me, so we can understand this shitshow more <3

So. I fucked up. Not really surprising but still ksjhkfhldjlkl

There’s a comment on the previous chapter that mentions some canon information about WKM and me, being the idiot that I am, did not do proper research before writing and planning this work. So I’m here to tell you what I personally choose to believe about WKM and it’s events, since it directly influences wherever the fuck I’m going with this story slfkhjgkkfjd. And I’m not like trying to attack the commentor or anything, I really appreciate you telling me those canon things man lkdfhlajdk, I just want to make some things clear that would confuse the heck out of everyone if they’re not put down on paper somewhere

The main things in my storyline/AU (wait i would call it an AU right? since these things aren’t canon? EDIT: apparently it would be considered a canon-divergence) that are definitely different from the canon storyline are:

  * **Damien and Celine are trapped in** ** _Damien’s_** **body.** I haven’t figured out how, and I haven’t figured out why, but the House decided to try and preserve the DA’s body and not Damien’s, and thus have the twins and the DA travel into him. 
  * **Marc straight up got gud _immediately_ after he was ‘killed by the Colonel’. He’s gone, the House absorbed his soul or something after he killed himself. DAMIEN does still happen without Marc though, because Damien discovers the truth by himself after falling through the ice.**
  * **SPOILERS FOR _THIS_ STORY IN PARTICULAR!! SHIELD YOUR EYES NOW!!: The _DA managed to escape the Upside-Down_ after Damien and Celine trapped them there.** They escaped the mirror and House and simply… drifted out?? I need to work on that part a bit but yeah, their soul or spirit or whatever got out and managed to ‘possess’ the body of someone who looked exactly like them. Since the DA in canon is _technically_ an ego (but only because it's revealed that originally Dark inhabits the DA, and Mark plays the damn character), the body of Y/N was transported to the Manor and in the process memories were made and lost.
  * **Darkiplier has his own soul, _kind of._** Damien and Celine’s souls are in Damien’s body, but some fragments of their souls were turned into Dark’s. The fragments that formed Dark’s own soul are the bad parts of each of the twin’s souls: Damien’s guilt for pushing the DA out of the body, and Celine’s pure hatred for the man she used to call her husband and the house she used to call home. What’s left of Damien’s soul is his humor and happiness, and what’s left of Celine’s is her motherly instincts and sarcasm. Dark's soul is the in the fore-front, and Damien and Celine are more internal dialogue than anything. Though sometimes one of them manages to push to the front for a day, in which case Dark's black eyes will turn either blue or red.
  * **the House is where WKM took place, and the Manor is where the egos live.** Honestly I should have cleared that up first but oh well slkghlgkfjdk. And the Manor has kind of the same floor plan as the House, but not really? Since it tends to change sometimes I guess you could consider the two similar.
  * **Damien and Celine still ‘died’ in the same time frame and space as in WKM, but the House and Marc didn’t possess them.** the House, as previously stated, really wanted to enter the DA’s body and not Damien’s, and Marc’s soul was already sucked up or whatever so the souls weren’t trapped in Celine. They just kind of floated around in the Upside-Down for all of two hours or however long it took for the DA to ‘die.’ And everyone leaves because of the dead bodies and not because of the curse or whatever. The Colonel still finds Abe’s evidence room and thinks he’s pinning the blame for Marc’s, Damien’s, and Celine’s murders on him, which Abe kind of is since he’s still in the house examining the bodies.
  * **The DA’s body just kind of… disappears from the storyline dslkfhlgkfj.** the House really tried to enter the DA’s body, but something was blocking it. It eventually broke the DA’s body to the point that it couldn’t even try to enter it anymore, and buried it semi-respectfully in the golf course. Why is that an important detail? The world may never know. I certainly don’t dslkgkfhldjk



So yeah! I hope that clears some things up for later, I know a lot of this needs to be developed more but this should cover for me for the most part sdkjgkjhlfjkd. I really hope I didn't just confuse all of you instead of clearing things up, ugh this is hard.

Happy reading, and as always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drinking game! Take a shot every time you read a curse word in this chapter dgjdfkdfdg. I'm sorry, I tend to get more vulgar when I'm passionate about something, oops...


	13. The Timeskip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I really don't know what else to call this chapter dskjhkfjd. Maybe if I think of something later I'll change it, but for now it's just that

It was almost five in the afternoon now. Y/N was helping Eric and Host prepare dinner, and they were surprised to learn that most of the ‘siblings’ ate together at night. Y/N was confused as to where they sat down to eat, but maybe the living room transformed or something. Yan did tell them on their tour that the Manor tended to change it’s floor plan almost daily.

Eric and Host decided to fix some sort of soup, and as Y/N was chopping up some vegetables they reflected on what happened earlier in the day.

After waking up screaming and shaking in the clinic, Y/N told the doctor and the others what they saw. They were excited that Y/N managed to remember something, but nervous that it made them have _that_ reaction. 

Y/N was told that Dr. Iplier put them in some sort of trance and couldn’t get them out for a good fifteen minutes. They started twitching and moving violently, to the point that the doctor and Yancy had to hold Y/N in place so they wouldn’t fall off the bed. None of the Ipliers there could figure out what made Y/N do that, and Y/N also feigned confusion. 

Though they knew the probable cause. The reflection from Y/N’s nightmare was in their new memory. It was freaky: they were supposed to know who they were, but they didn’t. And what was up with recognizing the Colonel? They had never seen them before, but still felt like they did. The memory that was supposed to clear some things up just made Y/N’s head hurt more.

As the group was leaving the clinic, minus Dr. Iplier, of course, Y/N had taken another look at their photograph. That cane… was in the reflection’s hand! So the reflection was ‘Dames’? 

Y/N looked closer and noticed that ‘Dames’ was also wearing a rectangular pin and a rose, in the same positions as the ones on the reflection. This meant that Y/N was now afraid of ‘Dames,’ and as they followed their new friends outside they couldn’t help but feel a sense of defeat. They supposed they could work out what this meant later. At that moment they were preparing for a water gun fight.

Y/N was still knee-deep in their later memory of being almost electrocuted by Bing, when their grip on the knife loosened and they almost cut themselves. 

“Y/N was lost in thought when their knife slipped. Luckily the Host noticed before Y/N managed to cut their finger instead of the carrot.”

Host quickly took the knife from Y/N a split second before it landed on their finger. They sighed. “Thank you, Host. I didn’t mean to get distracted.”

“The Host understands. It has been a long and stressful day for Y/N. They are welcome to sit down and watch the Host and Eric Derekson make dinner.”

“Y-Yeah, Y/N, you didn’t… you didn’t have to h-help us,” Eric turned away from the stove, “you’re o-our guest!”

Y/N smiled and shook their head. “I did have to help you. I came here uninvited, and now I’m _living_ here uninvited. The least I could do is help make food for a night.”

Host did not give Y/N the knife back. Instead, he told them, “The Host supposes Y/N is correct. However, they have chopped up enough vegetables for the soup, and there are no other jobs available for them in the kitchen. Y/N bids the Host and Eric Derekson farewell before leaving for the living room.”

Y/N did exactly that. It still felt weird to be narrated to do something. But Host didn’t narrate what they were going to do in the living room once they got there, so as they entered they turned back around and saw Host chopping up the carrot. Y/N could barely hear him muttering to himself, probably some narration to help him see what was the carrot and what was his fingers. They shook their head and sat down on the couch, picking up a random book they spotted on the coffee table.

Y/N was just past the first page of the book when a sultry voice whispered in their ear, “Hello~”

They jumped about three feet in the air, tossing the book behind them, and on instinct they smacked whoever the culprit was. To no one’s surprise, it was Illinois.

“Ah, jeez, we’ve got a feisty one~” he purred as he rubbed the red mark off of his face.

Y/N sighed again. “You really shouldn’t do that, Illinois. You could have at least said your name, that way I would’ve smacked you harder.”

There was a muffled “O-Oh, burn!” from the kitchen as the adventurer faked a hurt expression. “Aw, Y/N, you wouldn’t do that.”

“Yes I would.”

Illinois moved closer to Y/N and lifted their chin up, forcing them to meet his eyes. “And what if I liked it~?”

“Illinois Smith feels a sudden pain in his throat and draws back from Y/N. He tries to yell out but finds he is unable to, for his voice box has been… rewired.” There was a dark chuckle from Host and Y/N turned to him, watching him dump the rest of the vegetables into the pot on the stove. They turned back to Illinois to find him glaring at Host, clutching his neck. He tried to say something and… he barked?

Y/N, eyebrows raised, looked at Host again to find him leaning against the countertop, an innocent smile on his face. Eric chimed in from his position by the soup pot, “D-Don’t worry about it… about it, Y/N, h-he pulls p-pranks on us all the… the time. Host w-wouldn’t do a-anything to put… to put us i-in danger.”

Y/N admittedly found it hilarious that Illinois was now part-dog, and laughed when he kept barking, obviously furious at Host. They could only imagine which bark meant which curse word.

Illinois eventually gave up on trying to yell at Host. He turned to Y/N with a huff and started whining. Illinois thought he looked like a pitiful little puppy, but Y/N thought he looked like a mess. 

They shoved his face away as they grabbed their book back. They returned to the couch and found it fully occupied. By one man.

Illinois was fully stretched out on the couch, in a position that screamed ‘I am desperate.’ Illinois made a noise between a growl and a whine that was _clearly_ suggestive as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“Nope,” was all Y/N had to say as they headed for the big recliner, book in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I lowkey hate Illinois's character and you can tell, I'm sorry for any of you that simp over him lskdfhjslfjd. Also does anyone know if Illy has an actual last name? I just gave him Smith since his first name is a play on Indiana Jones' name and Smith is also a popular last name lskdhlhkjd  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	14. The Repeat...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO I'M BACK AND WORSE THAN EVER!!! Sorry for leaving like that, there was a death in our family but they lived uber far away and we had to travel for the funeral :(. At least I got to brainstorm ideas for this fic on the way to and from their burial site.   
> Also yes it's another timeskip, right after a timeskip. I am not sorry.

It was cold. No, actually, it was warm. Or maybe it was both? Y/N couldn’t tell up from down, left from right, let alone what the temperature was. 

They were... falling. They think. Yes, they’re sure of it. They were falling, but where to? Y/N started to slightly panic. They never did like being kept in the dark.

...Wait. What? Y/N was back in the nightmare. They didn’t think they’d be back here. They opened their eyes and saw the void again. 

If they were back in the nightmare, then they were bound to see the reflection again. Y/N did not feel like seeing it for a third time. They grasped blindly at the darkness, trying to grab anything that could stop their fall. They found nothing.

Y/N stopped and started thinking about what happened after dinner. Perhaps thinking of real events could wake them up.

Y/N had met five new Ipliers, which had introduced themselves properly after everyone had finished their food. ...Well, four new Ipliers. Unus was… a special case.

Unus and Annus wore black and white suits, respectively. Annus had the same basic structure as the rest of his siblings, but Unus looked nothing like them. His pale skin and fluffy brown hair made him stand out among the Ipliers. 

Y/N was told that Unus and Annus came into being after Fischbach and one of his friends, Ethan Nestor, created a channel for the purpose of deleting it a year later. Unus resembled Nestor, and Y/N concluded that Unus was one of his egos. They had asked why Unus was here and not somewhere else, like where Nestor’s egos lived.

At their question, several of the egos in the room looked very uncomfortable. It was Unus himself who finally told Y/N that Nestor didn’t have any egos, at least none that had gained as much attention as Fischbach’s. He explained that if Nestor did somehow acquire them, they were roaming free and unrestricted throughout the California desert. And Nestor would have no idea, since the existence of egos is kept secret.

Y/N was quickly introduced to the rest of the Ipliers before they could ask any more questions. Captain Magnum was… huge, to say the least. He was at least double the height of the rest of his siblings, and his big overcoat didn’t help his case. Was that why the Manor’s doorways and ceilings were so high? 

The Jims were entirely different from Magnum. They were most definitely smaller (and their strange crouching poses made them even more so) and more energetic than the pirate. The Jims names were Reporter Jim, who held a microphone, and Cameraman Jim, who held a recording camera. Y/N was told that the two were hardly ever separated, from their equipment and each other. They even had a bunk bed in their room.

RJ, which was what the Ipliers called him, had immediately shoved his microphone in Y/N’s face after introducing himself and his brother (apparently CJ wasn’t much for talking). He started rapid firing questions, with CJ recording. Before Y/N could answer any of them, however, they were dragged off to bed by Bim and Illinois.

Those two kept flirting with Y/N all the way to their bedroom. Well, Bim flirted with Y/N. Illinois was still stuck in ‘dog-mode,’ which everyone who was at dinner found to be the funniest thing ever. Y/N couldn’t help but giggle every time someone threw scrap food at Illinois and he caught it on instinct.

Once Y/N had finally reached their room, they quickly opened and shut the door before either of the men could enter and do something weird. They were still flirting when Y/N flopped on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

…

Well that didn’t work. Y/N was still falling in the nightmare. Did it take this long last time, too?

Y/N decided to try a different tactic. Maybe they could scare themselves awake! But how?

They guessed they could just think of disturbing images.  _ Let’s see, a bog monster… a big, dark shadow… Illinois in a maid outfit… _

...none of them worked. Y/N was  _ still _ falling in the—

_ Thump. _

Oh. They weren’t falling anymore. They were now standing on and in the abyss. They squinted as the faint outline of the staircase and balcony appeared.

The person fell over the balcony again, and Y/N tried to scream as the pain hit once more. It wasn’t any less awful than the last time, their head swimming with feelings of distrust and confusion and grief. So much grief. What had caused that person so much mental pain?

Y/N opened their eyes again after having screwed them shut. They had ended up on the ground again. They knew what was waiting behind them, and Y/N stood and turned around to face it.

...the mirror looked… different. It was still cracked and chipped, and it was still the same size and shape, but as Y/N moved closer it didn’t show the reflection. Instead, it showed a vast yellow countryside with a small forest patch in the distance. Y/N could just barely make out the trees’ green leaves. The sun was high in the sky, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Y/N recognized this picture, but they couldn’t remember from where.

It wasn’t until ‘Dames’ walked into frame and startled Y/N that they knew. The landscape was from the photo they had found! What was this, then?

‘Dames’ spoke, seemingly to Y/N. “I’m nervous, Y/N. What if I mess up something? I was never too good with paperwork, I don’t know how I’ll be able to run a city like this—”

Suddenly there were two gloved hands in frame. Y/N jumped back again: they thought ‘Dames’ was speaking directly to them, not whoever they were watching as. The hands were swiftly making some kind of motions. Y/N figured it was ASL, but they couldn’t understand any of it. They had never studied it, and the hands were moving at too incredible of a speed for Y/N to even attempt to translate.

‘Dames’ understood though, and continued speaking after the hands went back down. “I know you know that I can do it, Y/N, but  _ I _ don’t know that I can do it. I mean, college did  _ not _ prepare me for all of this stress—”

The hands went back in frame as they cut ‘Dames’ off again. One rested on his cheek, and the other began rapidly signing again.

‘Dames’ leaned into the touch and sighed as the signing hand went back down. “Alright, alright. I’ll calm down. If it makes you stop worrying, friend.”

The hand still in the mirror patted ‘Dames’ on the head before moving back down. As ‘Dames’ made to fix his slicked back hair, the image suddenly moved to the left. Y/N was spooked again, but assumed that the person had moved their head because their name was called. Y/N didn’t hear anything, though. Now that they really listened, the only noises were coming from ‘Dames’ and his movements. There was a group of birds flying in the distance, but even their loud squawks couldn't be heard. 

The mirror was now showing someone behind a blocky camera stand. Their face was blurry, as was the building and sky behind them. What the heck?

The person held a thumbs up, and Y/N guessed they were asking if the two were ready. The image moved over to ‘Dames,’ who smiled and wrapped an arm around the person Y/N was viewing as. The image flicked back to the camera as the hands came into frame, waving as the camera flashed and Y/N woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooohhh more lore whoop whoop! I had a really hard time trying to keep Damien in character, let me know if he sounded OOC because I can't create dialogue for him as easily as I can with the others sdkjghljf. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	15. The Dance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a shorter chapter this morning, I promise I'll upload a second one later sdfjkhkghf

Y/N was awake and back in their color-devoid bedroom. They were still facedown on the bed, and dressed in their clothes from yesterday.

Y/N flipped over and stared at the ceiling. It was about time that they at least tried to put some puzzle pieces together.

So ‘Dames’ was a friend of theirs… No. A friend of someone with the same name as them. That was apparent from the… memory? Vision? ...Whatever they just saw proved that.

But what about the photograph? Was that not Y/N’s exact features on the person standing beside ‘Dames?’

Y/N hopped off the bed and began to pace around in thought. They were thinking so hard that they were unable to hear the distance scream of “I AIN’T GET NO SLEEP ‘CUZ O’ Y’ALL, Y’ALL NOT GONNA GET NO SLEEP ‘CUZ O’ ME!!!” from Bing’s speakers.

Other Y/N was deaf. No, mute. They were mute. Was that why Y/N couldn’t scream in the nightmare? Were they other Y/N for a time?

As much as they hated to, they needed to think about the reflection. The reflection from the nightmare looked identical to Dames, except…

Y/N facepalmed. The reflection had grey skin. ‘Dames’ had the same colored skin as…

Y/N stopped pacing in momentary shock. ‘Damien’ was the same color as all of the Ipliers. And now that Y/N really thought about it, he had the same basic structure as them. The hair, the eyes, the jaw. He looked almost identical to them.

Maybe… maybe he was an ego? But as Y/N started pacing again they tossed that thought aside. If ‘Dames’ was an ego, they would have seen him yesterday. And they didn’t, which meant that ‘Dames’ wasn’t here.

Y/N sighed as they sat back down, only somewhat satisfied with their conclusions. The reflection wasn’t ‘Dames,’ and they weren’t the one in the photo. This other Y/N was mute, and they were good friends with ‘Dames.’ And Y/N was still terrified of the reflection.

Y/N sat back on the bed again, but not before glancing at the alarm clock sitting on the dresser. ...was it there before?

The time read 1:48 am. ...Huh. Y/N could hear Bing and his obnoxious remix now, and they wondered why in the world they were out in the Manor at this hour.

Before they could open the door to tell him off, Bing burst open the door himself and assaulted Y/N with whatever was now playing out of their speakers.

“SAH DUDE! YA LIKE MY TUNES? C’MON, LET’S DANCE OR SOMETHIN’ BRUH!”

...What was the robotic equivalent of drunk? Because that’s what Bing seemed to be right now.

Y/N could do nothing but follow Bing as he pretty much dragged them out of their room. They led them outside. 

...Great, it was raining.

Bing turned down his volume a _lot_. Y/N was surprised, they thought Bing was going to make them _permanently_ deaf, not temporarily.

He still kept on that kazoo cover of Megolovania, though.

Y/N _had_ to ask, “Bing, are you… drunk?” as they stumbled closer and closer to Y/N.

“Nah, dude, I think I’m just low on juice. It happens.” He shrugged.

Y/N just sighed and attempted to push Bing back inside, before they either died, attracted lightning, or electrocuted Y/N. But the android was like a fucking _boulder_. Bing didn’t move an inch as he asked, “Bruh, what’re ya doin’?”

Y/N would have found it hilarious in any other situation that Bing gained somewhat of a southern accent when he’s low on charge, but right now they were focussed on getting them back to the workshop. “I am trying… to get you… back inside—!”

Y/N tumbled and fell into the now muddy ground. Bing helped them up with a startling amount of strength, and they twirled Y/N around as he said, “Nah, dude, I’m gonna hafta pass. C’mon, dance with me!”

Bing stopped the kazoo cover and put on some type of tango music. He started moving Y/N along, and they didn’t resist. Y/N figured if Bing wasn’t going back inside, they might as well have some fun while they were out here.

They danced for a bit, and Y/N laughed as Bing wiggled their eyebrows and dipped them. He brought them back up and twirled them again before letting them go.

“Thank ya, dude, I’ve been meanin’ to test that new program out for a while.”

Y/N giggled at Bing’s now heavier accent, and they started to really laugh again as Bing joined in. The two of them stood there, laughing in the rain, for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was some soft stuff with my boy Bing, and yes I DO headcanon him to speak with more of a southern accent when they're low on charge, what about it? If you want to know if Google does it too he does, but their accent is french instead of southern dskfjhkfghf. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	16. The Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heres the second chapter uwu, man I am on a roll today dkjsljdkjd. A third chapter might be coming out today also, just because I have nothing else to do.
> 
> edit: GOD FUCKING DAMNIT SHIT FUCK I FORGOT ABOUT THE HOST POV WHAAAAALAKJDFLHDGKDHKJLFDFD well I guess now I know where I'm going with the next chapter dfhggfaf.

“C’mon c’mon c’mon, Y/N, hurry up, all the good pancakes’ll be gone!!”

“Yan, for the love of God, let them breath.”

“Don’t touch me, Bim!”

“I’m sorry, but that would be my line.”

Y/N could hear Unus giggling at what Annus just said, and they rolled their eyes at the four egos’ banter. They finished getting ready a minute later and opened the door. 

Unus and Annus were now whispering “Fight, fight, fight!” and Bim and Yan were indeed halfway through a cat fight, when they froze as Y/N emerged from their room. They quickly backed away from each other, attempting to look innocent as Yan whistled and Bim put his hands behind his back. 

Y/N gave a small smile, not unlike one seen on a parent’s face three seconds before they scold their child. But instead of scolding the two, Y/N shook their head and gestured down the hallway, wordlessly telling them to lead the way.

They had wanted Yan and Bim to run ahead so they could ask Unus and Annus some questions, but instead Unus and Yan each grabbed one of Y/N’s hands and ran down the hallway. They could barely hear Bim ask Annus, “How do you put up with all of that… excitement?”

Y/N didn’t hear Annus’ answer as they were dragged into the kitchen. They thought it smelled wonderful, as an array of breakfast food sat spread out in the kitchen island. That was a _lot_ of food.

Eric was at the sink rinsing off a spatula. He looked over at Y/N and told them, “I-I didn’t know… didn’t know w-what you liked, Y-Y/N, so I… I made a b-bit of everyth-thing.”

Y/N was in awe. _Eric made all of that himself?!_ “Eric, it all looks amazing. Thank you!”

Eric turned red and was suddenly extremely interested in the spatula he was cleaning. The poor ego couldn’t take a compliment. Y/N wondered what his backstory was, and if it caused this kind of behavior.

Y/N was told yesterday that each ego had some sort of backstory, whether fan-made or provided by Fischbach. Most of the more powerful egos, like Wilford and Host, had their stories made by their creator. The Ipliers also mentioned someone by the name of Dark. 

They told Y/N that he was the most powerful out of them all. Dark was reclaimed by Fischbach after his fans started making him into a ‘silly little goth boi uwu’ (Y/N was in tears after King said that), the entity even has his own little backstory series. Y/N had yet to meet this Dark, and they hoped they would get the chance to today. Though maybe not: from what the other egos said, Dark seemed pretty scary.

Y/N was brought back to the present as Yan moved past them in a mad dash for the pancakes. “Dibs on these!!”

Bim and Annus had caught up and were in the kitchen now. Bim frowned and said, “Yan, let Y/N pick out what they want first. We can’t have our pretty guest going hungry~.”

Yan stuck her tongue out at Bim but moved back. They were still grumbling something about “they’re gonna take them all out of spite or something smh” when Y/N walked past them to grab a plate.

The rest of breakfast was rather uneventful, unless you count Unus and Yan’s failed game of Bacon Jenga, or Annus drinking not-apple juice, _Annus that’s disgusting why would you—_

They were distracted from almost throwing up by Bing walking in. He was still wet and covered in mud from last night, and they looked extremely tired. “Mornin’, y’all.”

All eyes in the kitchen turned to him, and suddenly everyone was laughing. The accent was just too funny. 

“Aw, c’mon now, y’all, it ain’t that funny!” 

In reality it was, and it was a while before Unus calmed down enough to ask, “What’s with the country accent, cowboy? And, God, why are you drenched in mud?”

Bing shot a glance at Y/N, who made eye contact immediately, before responding to Unus. “Just had a rough night in the shop, there really ain’t nothing else to it.”

Unus also shot a glance at Y/N before shrugging and returning to eating his food. He must have seen the look Bing gave them, but was kind enough not to ask about it.

Yan, on the other hand… “Ooooooh I saw that look you gave Y/N! What did you two do last night? Oh!” they gasped dramatically, “Is that why Y/N took so long to get ready, did you two go on a date or something?!”

Y/N put their face in their hands, willing it to not turn red. Bing was apparently too tired to even register what Yan just said, so he did what anyone would do in his situation: he nodded his head.

He _nodded_. Y/N was going to strap him down to his charging station and never let him off of it.

Bim looked scandalized. “Bing! That’s our guest, you can’t just go fucking every new person that comes through here!”

Annus whispered “Look who’s talking” as Bing’s face lit up orange, and Bim turned around and scowled at Annus. “That’s different, OK? It’s who I am.”

Bim puffed his chest out as Y/N removed their hands from their face and said, “And who you are is a fucking cannibal.”

Unus, Annus, and Yan laughed again as Bim said “Now listen, wait a minute—” and Y/N’s world was drenched in lavender.

But before Bim’s powers could really take effect, there was a voice from the living room. 

“And what would be causing all of this… noise.”

Yan exclaimed, “Hey, Darkie!” as Y/N turned around and saw the reflection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit Dark' s here, finally ksjdsdd. That's also part of the reason I'm publishing so many chapters in a day now, I accidentally made this story go at a snail's pace.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	17. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoop whoop third chapter!! Can we make it to four?! I sure hope so sdjflfjgsdk, I'm feeling extra motivated. This chapter is a bit longer than what I wanted for a Host POV, but it makes up for the two previous chapters which are under 1,000 words skjgfljdfk.

“Y/N stood frozen on the spot. They were horrified and afraid. ‘The reflection’ was standing there, alive and well.”

Host was once again in his office, and he had been typing out his newest novel when he decided to check in on Y/N. He supposed he found them at a bad time.

Host switched from Y/N’s point of view to Dark’s, and what he found was… surprising. “Darkiplier stood frozen on the spot. They were horrified. His District Attorney was standing there, alive and well.”

Host was very confused. First, Dark only ever used he/him pronouns, at least to Host’s knowledge. And who was this District Attorney? Why did Dark think Y/N was them?

Host delved deeper into the vision. Dark stood a little into the living room, and Y/N was at the edge of the kitchen. Y/N’s eyes were wide, and Dark looked… afraid. Darkiplier, afraid? Host was more concerned than confused now. Was Host sick or something, was his brain acting up?

Host went into his standard third person. “The two stood there for an eternity, neither of them daring to make a sound. There wouldn’t have been any sound for a while if Yandereplier hadn’t interrupted their staring contest.”

Yan did indeed appear in Host’s vision and say, “Uh, Darkie? Y/N? Woah, are you two OK, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

“At the word ‘ghost,’ Darkiplier flinched. He was indeed seeing a ghost, but said,

“ ‘I am alright. I simply wished to grab some breakfast early without being bothered but, ah… it seems that’s unavoidable when you’re living in a house like this.’ 

“Darkiplier extended a hand to Y/N as they laughed nervously. They still looked like they were about to faint, but they didn’t as they weakly shook Darkiplier’s hand. His aura flared up at their touch, and his three dimensional shadows flickered as he told them,

“ ‘My name is Darkiplier. You may call me Dark, if you wish. No need to tell me yours, I already know it. News… travels fast around here, Y/N.’ ”

Host was shocked at the small smile Dark gave Y/N. Dark never smiled, and if he did it was sarcastic or more of a leer. 

Host was confused again. Why was Dark acting so… nice? Host was going to get to the bottom of his behavior this instant.

Host backed out of the vision and cleared away his desk. He brought out a new notebook and pen, and scribbled on the first page, “Who is Darkiplier?”

That was an easy question to answer, or so Host thought. Darkiplier was a demon like entity, with a living aura that helped him with his powers. His powers consist of manipulating people (a sort of mind control, if you will) and objects around him. Like telekinesis, almost, except whatever he picks up is surrounded in smoke.

There was never anything else to it. Dark always shrugged off the question of what his shadows were. He told everyone that they were just there for effects in the early stages of his appearance, and Fischbach never bothered to officially remove them from his design. Host never really believed him, but now was his opportunity to find out why Dark had lied.

Host had no idea where to start with the shadows, so for now he wrote down “They?” and exited his office, in search of Googleplier.

~ ꕤꕤꕤꕤꕤ ~

Host had arrived in front of the androids’ workshop. He knocked twice to be polite. He knew he could just narrate the door to malfunction, but he was never the type to abuse his power.

The door opened and Host was for once grateful that he was blind. He remembered the day that Bing decided to paint the workshop that awful orange, and as he entered the room he wondered again why Google didn’t stop him.

Host found Google standing over a work table, fiddling with something that had several dozen copper wires attached. 

Bing was out on his charging station, still covered head to toe in mud. Good. They needed to charge after what occurred last night.

Host walked up to Google as he said, “Good morning, Host. Do you need assistance?”

It seemed Google was still a bit bitter from yesterday. At least he didn’t laser Host in half as soon as he got here. “The Host asks Googleplier if they are willing to help him with some research.”

Google put down the amalgamation of wires and looked at Host. “Of course. Ask your question now.”

“What videos has Darkiplier appeared in?”

Google gave Host a confused look as he was forced to answer, “Speaking results for: what videos has darkiplier appeared in? Darkiplier has appeared in several videos on Youtuber Markiplier’s channel, including ‘DON”T BLINK,’ “DON’T MOVE,” ‘relax,’ ‘ATTACK OF THE MARKIPLIERS,’ the ‘A Date With Markiplier’ series, the ‘Who Killed Markiplier’ series, ‘DARKIPLIER VS. ANTISEPTICEYE,’ the—”

“OK Google.”

Google stopped, waiting for the command. He still looked confused.

Host was confused too. What was the “Who Killed Markiplier” series? Had he missed something? It wouldn’t be surprising if he had, he tended to get so absorbed in his work that he ignored whatever was happening around him. He had tried to lighten the load a little, though, after he frightened himself and Eric a month after the timid ego had arrived.

“What is ‘Who Killed Markiplier’?”

Google answered, “Speaking results for: what is who killed markiplier? ‘Who Killed Markiplier? (also known as WKM) is a multi-video story series made by Markiplier, with Tyler Scheid, Pamela Horton, Robert Rexx, Mick Lauer, and Chris Hampton acting alongside Mark. The series is dedicated to Friday, October 13th of 2017. The website https://whokilledmarkiplier.tumblr.com/ was created. The project was mentioned beforehand in “A GOOD 'OL FLOOR VLOG” and “WHERE THE F$@K?”.’ ”

Yeah, Host missed something. He asked Google for more information and dug straight into the lore of the series.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie Host has some watching to do dslkjljdf, he's catching on faster than anyone. Which isn't surprising since he can see into the future or whatever. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!
> 
> Before I forget, here's the wikis I used to get the answers from Google:  
> what videos had darkiplier appeared in? https://superepicfailpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Darkiplier  
> what is who killed markiplier? https://markiplier.fandom.com/wiki/Who_Killed_Markiplier%3F  
> And as of right now (10:53 EST, January 20, 2021) they still work kdfjkgfdfgf


	18. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, fourth and last chapter for today!!

Y/N was equal parts mortified and confused as Dark grabbed a single strip of bacon and teleported away in a puff of smoke. They were mortified because the ego was the reflection from their dream, and they were confused because he seemed so… pleasant. The Ipliers (and Unus) had made it seem like he was a scary person to be around, but in reality he was polite and charming. Maybe he was using his powers on Y/N?

Y/N turned to the egos still in the kitchen (Bing left again, hopefully for his charging station) and exclaimed, “I thought one of you said he was a huge jerk?!”

Bim, with a single eyebrow raised, said, “He usually is, cutie. Most mornings he poofs in here all mad and steals my entire plate.”

“Yeah, and he’s such a party pooper!! One time me and Eric were—”

“The phrase would be ‘Eric and I,’ Yan. Excuse me, that bacon was exquisite, thank you Derekson.”

Dark appeared and disappeared again in smoke, as Yan rolled her eyes and Eric turned red again and squeaked out a “n-no problem!” 

Y/N stared at the spot where Dark had stood. Dark was the reflection. But he didn’t act like it.

There was silence once more until Unus spoke up. “Welp, I’m going with Annus to the squirrel dome, does anyone else want to go?”

Yan, of course, started bouncing up and down. “Ooh ooh, me! And I know Eric wants to go, too!”

Eric definitely wanted to go, because the look on his face when Unus said ‘squirrel dome’ was a happy one. Though he stuttered out, “Y-Yeah, I can go. Does… does Y/N w-want to go t-too?”

But before Y/N could reply with any variation of ‘yes,’ Wilford Warfstache waltzed in, grabbed Y/N’s hand, and poofed the two of them out of the kitchen in a haze of pink dust.

~ ꕤꕤꕤꕤꕤ ~

Y/N did not expect teleportation to feel so… weird. Like the atoms in their body were being arranged and rearranged multiple times. They half expected for one of their arms to be attached to their legs or something as the smoke cleared and Y/N was in a new location.

Y/N assumed the massive studio was Wilford’s. There was a huge camera rig centered in front of, and pointed directly at, a stage at the back of the studio. The high ceiling’s rafters were holding several cameras that no doubt captured several different angles of the stage. The stage had a green screen, two comfy looking armchairs and a simple, small coffee table. Y/N looked closer and noticed something on the green screen.

...They really hoped that bloodstain and knife were just props.

There were two other stages on the left and right sides of the studio, and they both had the same basic camera set-ups as the first stage. The one on the left looked like a newscasters set, with a countertop situated smack dab in the middle of the stage. There was an abandoned cup of coffee sitting on the counter, and a stack of papers had been knocked over and scattered across the countertop and floor. This stage, too, had a green screen background.

The stage on the right did not have a green screen background, but instead a blue one with a logo for “Hire My Ass!” printed in white and purple. The set for this stage looked like a game show, since three podiums with digital score counters and nameplates were placed side-by-side to the right of the stage. There was a fourth podium on the left of the stage, but instead of a score counter and name plate the podium had the show logo painted on.

Y/N could easily guess which set belonged to which ego. The newscaster’s belonged to the Jims, the game show’s belonged to Bim, and the one with the bloodstain and knife belonged to Wilford.

Wilford frowned at Y/N as they stumbled a bit from the after-effect dizziness from teleporting. “Say, I thought I asked you to call me when you got settled in yesterday, gumdrop?”

Y/N looked up at Wilford and replied, “I’m really sorry, sir. Yesterday was really overwhelming for me.”

Wilford scoffed and headed for his stage. “It’s fine, it’s fine, you’re here now though, sugar! And I’m getting that interview whether you like it or not!”

Wilford gestured toward the armchair on the right, and Y/N happily sat down in it. They didn’t know what Wilford was going to be interviewing them on, since they still couldn’t remember anything from at least the past week, but Y/N were excited anyway as Wilford mic'd them up. 

“So do you do everything here by yourself, Mr. Warfstache? I mean editing, lighting, sound, stuff like that.”

Wilford moved back to make sure Y/N’s mic was properly hidden. He looked at them and smiled, his mustache twitching. “Oh please, you can call me Wilford, gumdrop! And I don’t normally do all of it, sometimes Bim… helps.”

His expression darkened toward the end of his sentence, but Y/N didn’t take notice. Wilford smiled again as he turned towards the knife in the screen. He snapped his fingers, and the knife was gone in a puff of pink smoke, as well as the bloodstain. Then he snapped his fingers again, and a small pink needle began patching up the hole with invisible thread. As the needle was finishing up and disappearing in pink smoke, Wilford sat down in the other armchair. 

Y/N was still amazed by the small show of power as Wilford snapped his fingers a third time and multiple sets of pink, translucent hands popped up around some of the cameras. One set gave a thumbs up, and Wilford winked at them. The hands got back on the camera as the recording lights came on.

“Welcome to Warfstache Tonight! I’m here with another lovely guest by the name of—say, what is your name, gumdrop?”

Y/N had to giggle at Wilford’s exaggerated accent as they told him, “My name is Y/N, Wilford.”

Wilford beamed. “Right, right, so Y/N, tell me a bit about yourself.”

...Was he serious? Well, Y/N had no time to hesitate as they racked their brain for something at least half-true. “I, uh… um… I l-like the color pink? And, uh, I-I guess I enjoy… swimming?”

Thank _God_ Wilford accepted that as an answer. “Fascinating! Say, gumdrop, do you mind telling me how you ended up here?”

Y/N bit their lip. “I-I’m sorry Wilford, I don’t have an answer for that. I just woke up in the middle of your yard, and I still can’t remember anything—”

Wilford cut them off and his face fell. “You… what? You mean to tell me that his whole interview is pointless? You really don’t remember anything, sugar?”

Oh boy. It seemed like Wilford had memory problems. And it also seemed like he was easily upset.

Y/N tried talking in a hushed tone, hoping that the mic would pick up their apology. “Wilford, I’m sorry, really I am. I—”

But Y/N was cut off again by Wilford shoving the barrel of a bright pink .38 revolver in their face.

Y/N had a case of déjà vu, and suddenly it was the Colonel holding the revolver, and they were shot directly in the chest as they tumbled off of the railing and down to the floor fifteen feet below the balcony—

Y/N fell out of the armchair and felt a pain in their side, and they could hear “Warfstache, what have I told you about shooting your guests?” as they fainted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shitty transition in the beginning kjfsklsfd. Also I did what I could for the Hire My Ass logo kdjfhjf, I don't remember if there was a legitimate one or not. As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	19. The District Attorney

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there are mentions of suicide in this chapter! Please be weary reading this, and if you have ever contemplated suicide or are currently planning to, please don't! There are so many people in this world that care about you, OK? I care about you, and the people on the helplines below care about you. Please please please, if you are thinking suicidal thoughts contact someone on one of the helplines.
> 
> http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html (entire list of hotlines for various countries)  
> http://www.suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html (entire list for hotlines in various U.S. states)  
> https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ (their phone number is 1-800-273-8225)  
> https://www.suicidestop.com/call_a_hotline.html (another list of hotlines for various countries)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long note above, but I have lost a friend to suicide before, and I don't want to lose more. This is your final warning that this chapter contains mentions of suicide. Anyway, enjoy.

It was cold. No, actually, it was warm. Or maybe it was both? Y/N couldn’t tell up from down, left from right, let alone what the temperature was. 

They were... falling. They think. Yes, they’re sure of it. They were falling, but where to? Y/N started to slightly panic. They never did like being kept in the dark.

...Y/N was starting to get tired of being in the nightmare void, though, once they figured out that’s where they were. This was their third unexpected visit. If this was going to happen every time they fell asleep or lost consciousness, Y/N was never going to close their eyes again. 

Although they were interested in seeing what was going to be in the mirror this time. Maybe it will have another memory, something from Y/N’s life and not the other Y/N’s.

_Thump._

Seriously? That was way quicker than last time. Y/N took a deep breath as they prepared themselves for the pain of the murder.

…

Something was wrong. As the stairs and balcony became visible, Y/N realized they were standing at the top. In the position of the person who was pushed off.

They saw the shadow of the other person approach with a gun. So the victim had been shot?

Y/N tried to move out of the line of fire but they couldn’t. All they could do was watch as the bullet passed through their chest, and they tumbled off of the balcony.

The pain felt ten times worse than that of their other two visits. The grief seemed amplified as Y/N tried to scream out. It lasted for just a bit longer, too.

The pain subsided and Y/N was, once again, kneeling on the ground. They stood up on shaky legs and turned toward the mirror. As they approached it, they realized that it was acting like a normal mirror for once.

...Nevermind. As Y/N stopped directly in front of the mirror, they noticed that their reflection was grayscale and wore a completely different outfit then what they were wearing. Their hands were gloved, and they began waving and signing frantically as soon as they saw Y/N coming towards them. 

Y/N tried to say that they couldn’t understand them, but remembered that they couldn’t speak, either. They tried making as exaggerated of a confused face as possible, and the other Y/N seemed to get the point. They stopped and looked like they were thinking. After a few seconds, they made the classic “I-have-an-idea!!” gesture with their index finger and huffed air onto the glass.

Y/N didn’t immediately understand what was going on until the Y/N in the mirror started to draw with their finger. The first words read, “Hello! Im Y/N the District Attorney!”

They looked again at Y/N and waved, and Y/N gave a silent laugh and waved back. The other Y/N erased the message and wrote a new one: “Do u remember who we r?”

Y/N did not know how to answer that. They… weren’t sure what they remembered. Yeah, they saw the murder and the events of their photograph, but they don’t _remember_ it actually happening. 

They started to make an “I-don’t-know” hand gesture before realizing the other Y/N had wiped away the message. Y/N blew on the glass and wrote, “IDK. Its a little fuzzy”

They cleared it away once they were sure the Y/N in the mirror had read it. The other Y/N looked deep in thought. Suddenly, they stuck their hand out _through the mirror_ , like they were asking for a handshake. The Y/N outside of the mirror was not shocked, but they were a little surprised since they had just been writing on solid glass a second before.

They hesitantly took their dopplegänger’s hand, and they were instantly pulled into the mirror. Their vision went black and white and black again, as various images and clips seemed to pass through their brain. 

They saw the Colonel and ‘Dames’ and someone who looked identical to Fischbach, they saw Abe—the detective's name, they remembered it!—bending over the robed ego, they saw the Colonel shooting the detective. They saw ‘Dames’—no, Damien. They saw Damien and his sister, Celine, playing, fighting, crying. Y/N saw them get killed by the house, they saw themself get killed by the Colonel. They saw themself reunited with them, in some sort of afterlife.

They saw themselves pushed into Damien’s corpse, saw themself being pushed back out, into the mirror. The same mirror in their room, the same mirror in their nightmares, the same mirror in that _damn House_. They saw their best friends walk away, unbothered by the banging and mute sobs of Y/N in the mirror.

And suddenly Y/N was back in that mirror, with the District Attorney, and before they had time to really register what they saw they were pulled back into remembering.

Y/N saw their old life. _Their_ old life. 

They saw themself being happy, angry, sad. They saw themself sadder. They didn’t see friends, didn’t see family. They didn’t see themself happy anymore. And then they saw—

...

...No. No. No, no, no, no no no nononononono—!

They saw themself jump off of the highest bridge in town. 

...They didn’t see themself get out of the water.

Y/N gasped and was back in the mirror. They were shaking and sobbing silently, and the DA looked on, a watery smile on their face. Y/N was confused and hurt and so extremely, extremely saddened by the memories that came back to them. Y/N wondered if the DA saw what they saw, felt what they felt.

The DA signed something, and Y/N found that they could understand them. _Do you remember who we are now?_

Y/N laughed and continued crying, as the DA embraced them and the two fell to the ground, a puddle of tears and anguish. 

It seemed like forever that Y/N sat there and shared their grief with the DA. They cried until they couldn’t cry anymore, and even then they sobbed dryly in the arms of the District Attorney. Finally, Y/N sniffed and sat up, and they discovered that they could talk again. “W-Why did they leave you there?”

The DA frowned and shook their head as they signed, _I may never know. Dames promised he would come back for me, but he never did. And I don’t blame Celine, in case you were wondering. C was like a sister to me, I would never suspect her of keeping Dames from coming back._

The DA smiled sadly and hesitantly signed, _Why did you jump?_

...

Y/N knew the answer, but it was a while before they said anything. “I was so… tired. I was _tired_. Tired of being sad, and of being alone.”

The DA put their hands on Y/N’s shoulders. They took one off and signed, _You’re not alone anymore. I’m here. And everyone else in the Manor is, too. We’re here for you, Y/N._

Y/N laughed again. There was nothing funny about this, but it was all they could do at that moment to express their gratitude. And the DA laughed too, and the laughter of two Y/Ns was what Y/N heard as they woke up back in the studio.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowie we are nearing the end! I'm sorry if it seems like I'm rushing this work now, I know I kind of spaced out events in the beginning and now that just... happened dljfshlhg. Also I never really proofread my works jkdfhkfgjlfk, they just pop out from my brain onto the google doc and I don't do anything to them. So if it's messy then that would be why fjghlkkj.  
> Also also thank you all so much for over 200 hits! I am extremely proud of this work, and I'm so glad that so many people are able to enjoy it as much as I am.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	20. The Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whaaalklfhkgj we are so close to the end folks!! I can smell it! Would you all like the links to the seven or so documents that I used for this story after I mark it as complete? I know I always like to see the process behind works, the way some people organize their thoughts both amazes and terrifies me kdjffkljkfk. Anyway, it's not done yet, so enjoy!

Y/N thought the Colonel looked familiar. As they opened their eyes, they recognized the twinkle of William’s eyes, and the twitch of his mustache that was very close to their face.

“Say, I didn’t think you’d be that quick, gumdrop!”

Wilford pulled them up from their position beside the armchair, as Dark brushed nonexistent dirt from his suit and said, “They aren’t, Warfstache. You are lucky that I decided to enter at that time, Y/N. Otherwise there would have been some... complications.”

Y/N stood away from Wilford and gazed curiously at Dark. They whispered, “Damien...”

Dark and Wilford turned their heads quickly to Y/N. “What did you say, sugar?”

Wilford looked… sad. But just a bit. If Y/N hadn’t known that mentioning his old friend would make him that way, they wouldn’t have noticed the slight faltering of his smile or the very tips of his mustache turning brown.

Dark remained impassive as he told Wilford, “Warfstache, go put your gun up. I would like a word with my D—our guest.”

If Wilford heard Dark’s slip-up, he didn’t make it known. He simply pouted, crossed his arms, and headed for his room.

It was just the two of them in the studio now. Y/N found this odd, as they were sure that Bim or the twins should be in here.

Dark’s question cleared things up a bit. “Did anything happen in the few moments that you were… out?”

Y/N was unsure whether or not they should tell him—them. Whether they should tell  _ them _ . They knew now that Damien and Celine were in there. Perhaps Y/N should tell them that they knew.

They repeated, this time louder, “Damien.”

Y/N watched Dark for a reaction, and was surprised to see his eyes flash blue. If they remembered correctly, which they were sure they did, Damien appeared to them in a blue light after they died. Maybe Damien was trying to come forward?

Dark made no mention of whatever just happened to him, and instead chuckled. “Y/N, are you alright? That wasn’t a clear answer. Perhaps we need to move you to the doctor’s—”

Y/N had made up their mind. They were going to tell Damien and Celine  _ directly  _ that they remembered what they did. They tried his name again as they cut Dark off. “ _ Damien. _ ”

Dark growled as his eyes flickered between black, blue, and red. Shadows that looked like 3D effects appeared behind him, and the blue ones stayed as Dark gave a jolt and his eyes turned the same color.

Damien spoke, his voice almost echoing that of Dark’s. “Y/N?”

He stumbled forward with a mixed expression of curiosity and melancholy. He reached out, almost as if he were trying to make sure Y/N was real, but they backed away.

“Damien, why?”

He froze. Damien whispered, “Y/N, I’m so sorry, I wanted to come back, I didn’t—”

His body gave another lurch as he struggled to maintain control, and as Y/N cut him off. “That wasn’t an answer,  _ ‘Dames.’  _ ” 

Damien’s shadow flickered in and out of visibility, as he frantically shouted, “I couldn’t, Y/N, you have to understand, it would have been seriously unstable with three souls in here, I was trying to—!”

Y/N began to tear up. “You what, Damien, what were you trying to do?!”

“I was trying to protect you!”

Dark’s aura swirled around and around Damien’s body and the studio as he shouted, “I didn’t want to lose you, Y/N, you were our last friend! Everything my sister and I planned, it was for you! We waited for hours in that void for you, we put you in that mirror for  _ you _ . We loved you, Y/N, we didn’t want you to become what we were...”

Damien calmed down and his voice became a whisper once again, as Dark’s aura stopped spinning and his shadow returned. He was crying, the blue tears staining his grey cheeks. He looked down.

Y/N was crying too, and they stepped forward as they asked, “Is that true? ...Celine?”

Celine had no trouble taking control. Damien’s shadow was gone, replaced by a red one. She looked up at Y/N, tears still in her eyes. Celine sniffed and tried to put on a brave face. “Yes. Damien was devastated when I told him we couldn’t go back. It just wasn’t safe, and with Dark’s soul already formed and floating around in here too, we weren’t sure how Damien’s body could handle it. I’m sorry, Y/N.  _ We’re  _ sorry.”

Y/N gently put a hand on Celine’s shoulders as she wiped her brother’s tears away. She smiled, but Y/N had yet to be convinced. It was ninety something years that they were trapped in that mirror, in that House, and they weren’t about to let the matter go that easily.

“Why did Dark’s soul form? And why did you not push him out? You didn’t seem to have a problem when you did it to mine.” Y/N’s words came out a little sharper than they intended, but at least Celine would clearly know that they were still confused and angry.

Celine said her next words with ease, almost as if she had practiced them. And perhaps she did: she had 90 years to perfect a speech on why she was in the right. “Believe me, Y/N, we tried. We tried to push him out, but we couldn’t. Dark is a part of us, a part of our souls. He was made from all of our negative feelings towards what happened at… at the party.”

Her eyes made her seem like she was… lying. She was lying about something. What that something was, Y/N didn’t know, and frankly didn’t care about. All that mattered was that one of their best friends was  _ lying _ to them about attempting to save them.

It was then that Celine lost control, and Dark’s eyes returned as his aura continued it’s carousel around him. Y/N backed up again as he straightened his suit and smiled. “Well. Did you enjoy your little chat?”

“Are you a part of them? Their souls?”

Dark frowned. “I am indeed a part of the siblings. My soul is composed of… parts… of theirs.”

Dark smirked and added, “And I can assure you that Celine was telling the truth. They did not know how you would react to my… presence.”

That wasn’t what Y/N was concerned about. What they wanted to hear was the truth about why they left them without a backward glance, and why they didn’t really try to save them.

“That’s not what I wanted clarification on.” They were really angry now. “I want to know why they never really went back for me.”

Dark tilted his head, curious. “Did I not just tell you exactly that? They were afraid of losing you, Y/N. They didn’t want you to break or fade away because of me.”

That was not the answer and Dark knew it. Y/N knew it. The DA knew it.

Y/N blacked out for a second, as they closed their eyes in an attempt to calm down. When they opened them… they weren’t in front of Dark anymore. Y/N was back in the void, watching from the inside of a cracked mirror. 

The mirror showed a screen of black, until the DA opened their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ooooooohhhh Big twist big twist, I wonder what's gonna happen next! You'll have to find out tomorrow because my brain is fried dljlfgkfd.  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	21. The Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is another mention of suicide toward the end! Please be cautious, I know it's not that big of a mention but still!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHAAAAAASKDJHSFJD I am not going to lie to you guys, I struggled with this chapter. I originally wrote out an entire fight scene from Host's POV with the DA having these mega super fucking awesome powers, but I scrapped it because it really didn't make sense in the story. And this isn't a Host POV, either, I'm really sorry about that, I just couldn't find a way to make any of what you're about to read make sense from his perspective. Anyway, enjoy, guys!

_C was like a sister to me, I would never suspect her of keeping Dames from coming back._

Hadn’t the District Attorney just signed those words to Y/N? Hadn’t they literally just ‘said’ they wouldn’t blame Celine for any of this? 

_C was like a sister to me…_

They supposed even the closest friends could still betray you.

They hadn’t meant to take control. But when Y/N closed their eyes, let themself be vulnerable, the DA would have been a fool not to take that chance. They opened their eyes, and they could feel Y/N at the back of their mind, screaming, pleading to be let out. They realized with cruel irony that this exact thing had happened to them a century ago. Trapped, alone, and begging for their friends to let them back in.

The DA saw Dark through grey eyes, and he looked mildly amused. He was amused? What was funny about this?

They glared at Dark as he smirked and said, “Welcome back, Y/N. 

“...Ah, my apologies, the District Attorney. It would get confusing if I referred to the both of you as Y/N, wouldn’t it?”

They rapidly signed, _Let me talk to Celine._

“Now, now, you had your chance,” Dark said, though his eyes were already flashing red. “Y/N already had a... talk with her.”

The DA lunged at Dark, and he simply sidestepped as Celine suddenly took control. She straightened out Damien’s suit as her red shadow flickered, and she said, “Y/N, I’m sorry. I just explained to you that it was impossible for you to come with us.”

The DA turned back to Celine, still outraged and ready to attack at any moment. For the time being, they returned to being civil. They signed, _It obviously_ was _possible. Dark is in there. Why did you leave me there?_

“Oh, please don’t be like that.” Celine started to cry. “We had no idea that would happen, Y/N. If we knew, we might have—”

_Might have? Might have?!_ The DA was about to explode. _Why didn’t you, then? Dark formed as soon as you two kicked me out, why didn’t you put me back in?!_

“Y/N, I—”

_No! No, Celine, shut up._ The DA took a step toward her, disregarding Dark’s aura that whirled ever faster at their action. _You said you were afraid of destroying me. I… I don’t believe that. You were afraid, all right, but not of what would happen to me._

Celine was about to speak again, but the DA took another step and she was unable to say anything through the aura swirling faster around her. _You were afraid of me. You were afraid of me and what I could have done to you and Damien._

Celine was able to shout “No!” as the DA took another step and Dark’s aura became a tornado. It swirled not only around Damien’s body but around the entire studio, upending Bim’s podiums, Wilford’s armchairs, and even the Jim’s entire stage managed to lift off of the ground a bit.

_You were afraid that the House would have followed me._

At these signed words Dark’s aura became truly out of control, and Celine screamed and sobbed as she ducked out of the way of a television prompter, “Yes, yes, I was afraid! I was afraid that the House would have gotten you, gotten me, gotten Damien! I already went through Hell and back from that House, and I was afraid that I would have to do it all again! I’m sorry, Y/N!”

The DA was shocked and angry that their conclusion was correct. The storm died down as they stepped forward again. ... _You kept Damien from taking control. From coming back for me._

Celine was still crying. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and had it not been for the echo the DA might never have heard her apology. “Yes, I did, and I’m ashamed. I’m ashamed of what I did, Y/N. I told Damien that his body wouldn’t be stable enough. I lied to him, I _lied_ to my brother. By the time I realized my mistake, Dark took control and we were led here. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for not fighting harder, for not trying to go back.”

The DA’s anger had subsided, and it was replaced with guilt. What was wrong with them, to forget the time that Celine had also spent there? To forget that she, too, had suffered in that House?

Celine’s eyes and shadow flashed blue as Damien took control. He looked up at the DA through teary eyes. “She… Celine lied? But…” 

Damien shook his head. “I really believed her. I really believed I was protecting you, Y/N. All those years, and I thought… ”

He sniffed and cried harder, and the DA stepped forward again, now directly in front of Damien. “I’m sorry Y/N. I never knew, I never thought about why we left you there after Celine told me that lie. Oh God, that must have been horrible for you, Y/N, I feel awful knowing that we could have done something, that _I_ could have done something, I—”

The DA hugged Damien tight, tears silently streaking their face. Dark’s aura stopped swirling around and enveloped them, as the DA pulled back and laid a hand on Damien’s cheek. They signed, _I’m not mad anymore. I… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully forgive Celine for what she did. But I understand why she did it, and for now I’ll forget about it. You did nothing wrong, Dames. So stop crying, you big doof, I’m afraid you’ll get dehydrated. I know that your body never seems to have enough water._

Damien laughed as he wiped the tears from his face and the DA smiled. “Alright, alright. I’ll calm down. If it makes you stop worrying, friend.”

They silently giggled, which made Damien laugh harder, and the two of them were still laughing and crying when Dark and Y/N regained control.

They actually calmed down as Y/N backed away. Dark’s aura bagan moving again, as he quickly wiped his face and said, “Well.”

Y/N looked around at the trashed studio and parroted, “Well?”

...

There was silence for a few minutes as they stood there, soaking in all of this new information. Dark finally said, “I apologize. I suppose I was... mistaken as to why the twins stayed away from the House.”

Y/N shook their head and replied, “I should be the one saying sorry, Dark. I got angry, we lashed out. I made Wilford’s studio a war zone, for God’s sake.”

Dark looked up at Y/N, who’s eyes were back to their normal color, albeit red and puffy from crying. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Y/N. Your anger, as well as the District Attorney’s, was understandable, and as for this mess…. It wasn’t your fault, it was mine. Or, technically speaking, it was Celine’s. Either way, you are not in the wrong.”

Dark was smiling a bit as he said this, but something dawned on him and he frowned. He said, “You remembered the District Attorney’s past life. Do you…?”

Y/N knew what Dark wanted to ask, as they bowed their head and quietly answered, “I… I died. I ju— I fell off of a bridge and died, I think that’s what caused this whole mess.”

They could tell that Dark heard what they were about to confess, as he smiled reassuringly and said, “We are pleased to have you here, now, Y/N. I promise, we wouldn’t dare let you leave now that you are… one of us.”

Y/N looked back up at Dark to see him extending a hand, and they took it as they left the messy studio and didn’t look back. 

Instead they looked forward, toward a crowd of new friends, new family, and a new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, there it is. The last actual chapter of the story. I am so incredibly proud of this work, even though I still feel like I rushed it toward the end. Thank you all so much for reading, and stay tuned tomorrow for the 'epilogue'!!  
> As always, make sure to leave a comment if you like this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


	22. Happiness

“The Host walks quietly out through the glass doors leading to the backyard. He keeps walking until he is beside Y/N, who is sitting on the grass. 

“...The Host realizes this is the exact spot that Y/N Arrived in.”

Y/N looked over from their position on the ground to see Host sitting beside them. They said, “Hello Host. What are you doing out here so late?”

“The Host could ask Y/N the same thing, but he won’t because he already knows the answer.”

Y/N sighed at Host’s words. Host ‘saw’ them look back at the sky as they fell into a comfortable silence.

It was a little over four minutes before Y/N said, “Thank you.”

“...The Host asks why Y/N is thanking him. He has done nothing besides sit beside them for the past four—his mistake, five minutes now.”

Y/N smiled but kept their eyes to the stars as they said, “I wasn’t just thanking you, Host. I want to thank everyone in the Manor, but I know I can’t so just… shut up and listen for them, OK?”

Host smiled slowly as Y/N closed their eyes and sat backward, splaying out on the ground as they continued.

“I… I didn’t have anyone before I came here. I was alone. No friends, no family, no… I just wasn’t happy. At all. And I came here, and Bing found me, and I remember that first night he dragged me out here and we danced and—”

They cut themself off with a small sob. Host ‘looked’ over to see Y/N with their eyes now open and full of tears. They blinked them back and kept talking. 

“I felt really happy. I felt  _ happy,  _ Host. And it wasn’t just then, when Bing took me salsa dancing in the middle of a thunderstorm. It was when Yan and Eric were throwing flour at me and Yancy, it was when King let his squirrels swarm all over me, it was when Wilford laughed for thirty minutes at a joke I made.” 

Y/N was fully crying now, as they closed their eyes again with a huge smile on their face. “It was when Illinois and Bim finally stopped flirting with me, it was when Magnum first taught me how to tie sailor’s knots, it was when Unus made me prank Annus with him. It was when Google let me help him untangle some wires, it was when Dr. Iplier allowed me to annoy him on his lunch break. ...Do you still remember that?”

They opened their eyes again and looked up at Host, who was mirroring their smile. “The Host remembers walking into the kitchen and witnessing Y/N on top of Dr. Iplier’s shoulders, trying to make him walk back to his office blind.”

They both laughed and Y/N sat up again. Their grin only grew as they said, “It was when you let me read in your office, Host. You have no idea how happy you made me. How all of you have made me. So thank you.”

Host felt blood flow from his sockets, and he was careful not to let it drip onto Y/N as they pulled him into a hug.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night, and Y/N felt happy again. 

“The last few months of being at the Manor had been the best of Y/N’s life, and of the District Attorney’s life. They hoped to have more happy moments like this in the future, as they drifted off to sleep in the Host’s arms.

“…

“...The Host thanks Y/N for Arriving here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there we have it, folks. The story is over! ...almost.  
> I think I will continue to write little scenario works about Y/N and whatever shenanigans the Ipliers get up to, but In a Manor of Speaking is complete. There are a few things I would like to say before you leave this work:  
> 1\. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to all of you for reading, leaving comments and kudos, and allowing me to snatch ideas from other works (there is one person in particular and you know who you are ldkhdlsgjf). I did not expect this work to gain any traction, this was my first fic on AO3, after all. But I'm so glad that it did, and I'm glad that people got to enjoy the story :)  
> 2\. I will be making a BTS work because I am going to implode if I don't share the shit I had for this story dfjhdlkdsfd. So stay tuned for that uwu  
> 3\. I just want to point out that some of my ideas/head canons for the Ipliers and this story were in part inspired by the writings of a_nonny_moose and FalseRoar, who are both on this site and you should read their works immediately!  
> 4\. I'm sorry for not responding to some comments, I appreciate all of you who left stuff like "holy fucking SHIT this is poggers," I really do. I have literally been sitting here sobbing for the past ten minutes over someone's comment sfjdljfd, that's why I can't respond to them, there's a chance i might flood my house if I start typing dskfjlkjfdk  
> 5\. This entire work (yes, every single chapter) was not proofread before I published it. If there's a mistake, or I left a plothole uncovered, let me know skjgklkdlk, because I'd be happy to explain. And some of you who have followed this work on it's entire journey might have realized that I added a silly little beta tag, since I did indeed not have any beta readers.  
> 6\. I will not be editing this story in any way once this chapter goes up, because even though my writing style has changed slightly these past few weeks I would like to leave this here as a reminder to myself that sometimes you just have to post the shit you want to post, and sometimes people will enjoy it even if your ideas are underdeveloped and you make up the plotline three seconds before you start typing the story skjdfhfkffk.  
> 7\. And, as always, make sure to leave a comment if you liked this work, and don't be afraid to request another!


End file.
